Keith’s GoutPal Story 2020 Forums Please Help My Gout! How Long For Food To Trigger Gout?

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  • #2651
    Al O’Purinol
    Participant

    How long before an attack occurs after eating the food that triggers an attack? Is it the next day, a week?
    I am trying to i.d. what is triggering my attacks and I don’t know if it is something I ate yesterday or 4 days ago.

    The attacks of gout are the worst pain I have experienced in my life.

    #4758
    trev
    Participant

    This ? has gone cold- but it's an interesting one.

    The obvious and simple answer is  'It depends' …

    On what?- well the SUA status of the eater for a start, hydration and stress or injury at  a vulnerable joint for an extra kick- just when you don't need it.

    All the same to start the ball rolling I would say that if I'm building for an attack then hours are all it takes to feel known culprits like shrimps & beer have their effect.

    If it's taking days then you'll never know imo! In other words- only in the critical stages will you be able to discriminate- and then it's too late.

    PS: Contrary to what's been said elsewhere Curries are supposed to be beneficial and one cure I tried years ago was simply Circumin in a capsule and lots of water to go with it ! Surprise….

    #21575
    Keith Taylor
    Keymaster

    Though quite old, this topic is still very popular. Things have moved on. As I responded recently to a related question about the length of time for a meal to affect gout:

    1. How quickly do uric acid levels respond to purine intake?

    Just a few hours. If you eat a meal rich in animal purines, uric acid crystals will rise within a couple of hours and peak a couple of hours later. It varies from individual to individual. I?ve got some specific research on this if you want the details. I?ve learned that speed of purine metabolism is not particularly important, except for the timing of uric acid tests. Temporary uric acid highs will not usually cause gout flares. Uric acid crystals grow very slowly, and gout flares are usually triggered by something else. Never forget though ? if you have no uric acid crystals, you cannot have a gout flare. The thing that is most overwhelming here is the “something else”

    Scientists are learning about new triggers, and getting better understandings of how a gout flare starts. Because there are many factors, in real life, the start of a gout flare seems random. Despite that, we all tend to get hung up on avoiding gout triggers. That is a truly overwhelming task. My best advice is to split your gout management plans between long term control of uric acid, and short term control of gout pain. That applies whether you choose pharmaceutical or alternative treatments.

    So, what does this means in relation to the original question: How Long For Food To Trigger Gout?

    If we’re talking purines, it’s many months. After you eat animal purines, uric acid levels rise in around 2 hours. But that rise has no immediate effect, other than to change blood test results. Even when the uric acid crystals do form, there is evidence to suggest that crystals alone do not cause gout attacks, or at least not in mind. Current thinking is that it is likely to be Free Fatty Acids (FFAs) that stimulate our immune system to attack invading crystals. One FFA, stearic acid, has been identified as a contender. Other FFAs might have a positive or negative influence on our inflammatory response.

    The best thing you can do is to observe your own reactions. Make notes in your Personal Gout Profile if you really must understand how long it takes for a meal to affect your gout. But never let such minor temporary details deflect you from the main task in gout control – keep your uric acid safely down at 5mg/dL (or whatever is your appropriate personal target).

    Also, see explanations in Dangers Of Gout Triggers.

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