How to Reduce Uric Acid

Uric acid is a waste product that the body produces after it breaks down purines in the body. After the breakdown occurs, the resulting waste is deposited into the bloodstream until it can be expelled from the body in your urine or feces. However, when too much uric acid builds up in the body it can have serious health consequences, one of the most common being gout. This is why it is important to maintain a diet that helps to reduce uric acid production in the body.

Instructions

1. Reduce your alcohol consumption. Some of the largest culprits when it comes to uric acid creation are beer and wine. This is because both of these products contain high amounts of purines. The greater amount of purines in the liquid, the more uric acid that is produced when the body has to break them down.

2. Increase the amount of water you drink. Water is an incredibly important aspect of detoxification in the body. When you increase your water, you help to dilute the amount of uric acid in the blood stream. The increased water volume also helps to flush the toxin out of the blood stream quicker. You can see this by the increased need to urinate as you drink greater volumes of water. Each time you urinate you are helping to eliminate uric acid from your system.

3. Drink more dairy. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, if you drink one to five glasses of low fat milk each day, you can substantially help your uric acid levels and reduce your chances of developing gout by up to 43 percent.

4. Decrease your protein intake and increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Most meats and seafood are very high in purines. Though you don't have to remove meat completely from your diet, replacing some meat protein sources with vegetables and fruits can help to substantially lower the amount of uric acid in your system.

5. Increase your level of physical activity. Uric acid can quite often build up because of poor circulation. Not only will increasing your physical activity help you to lose weight, but it will also help increase the blood flow throughout your body. This increased circulation will help your body to quickly flush out any uric acid that is produced.

6. Get a massage. Getting a massage can help pull uric acid out of your muscles and into the blood stream. However, a massage will not help if you do not drink plenty of water afterward. If you neglect to increase your water intake, the toxins that were released into your bloodstream will only resettle back into your muscles. They may even make you feel physically sick because of the concentration of toxins in your bloodstream.

Tips & Warnings

• If you begin to see the signs of gout, see your doctor immediately. Though the tips in this article may help reduce the levels of uric acid in your body, gout may also need prescription drug intervention to keep the disorder under control.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Additional Information on High Uric Acid Levels