The Connection Between Obesity and Gout

Gout is a disease that affects your entire system and is a result of uric acid building up in your joints.

This increased amount of uric acid can occur when:

• The liver produces more uric acid than the body can eliminate in the urine.
• When a diet high in rich foods such as:
  Red meat

  Cream sauces and

  Red wine

  Produces more uric acid than the kidneys can filter from the blood.

As uric acid builds up, it will crystallize and settle into your joints, causing:

• Swelling
• Inflammation
• Stiffness and
• pain – a condition referred to as gout.

There are certain diseases that affect your risk for developing it, including:

In about 18 percent of the nation’s 2.1 million people living with gout, there is a family history of the disease.

This disease most often shows up in the joint in the big toe, causing severe pain.

Once diagnosed (through a test on the fluid in the joint), the key to treatment is to reduce the amount of uric acid in the blood.

Left untreated, it can cause damage to the joints and even disability.

The best ways to prevent gout are to:

• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat a proper diet
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Exercise regularly and
• See your physician on a regular basis.

If you’ll note, healthy weight and healthy diet are included in the prevention list, which is where the obesity connection comes in.

These are important steps in overcoming obesity, which can also help reduce your risk for developing gout.

There are two main lifestyle changes you need to make to overcome obesity and reduce your gout risk.

These include:

• Eating a healthy diet.
• Maintaining an appropriate fitness level.

As far as the diet goes, you will need to create a meal plan that revolves around healthy, nutritious foods that are both low in fat and low in calories.

You should especially focus on:

As far as exercise goes, begin by increasing your exercise level in small increments until you can exercise up to 30 minutes a day most days of the week.

Begin by simply:

• Taking a walk around the block.
• Tackling the stairs instead of using the elevator.
• Parking at the back of the parking lot.

You will be surprised at how much you can achieve, and how good you will feel doing it.

Overcoming obesity is tremendously important to your health.

You’ll find plenty of resources on this site to help you reach your goals.

Here are some more tips to get you started on the right track.

• Incorporate a proven, complete nutritional program into your daily life.
• Enhance your nutritional program with a complete mutivitamin supplement because no nutritional program is perfect.
• Use a behavior modification and motivational program that will help you stay on track with your nutritional plan.
• Exercise at home with your own:
  Treadmill

  Stairstepper

  Exercise bike

  Elliptical trainer

  Hand weights or

  An aerobic video.

• See what kinds of weight loss aids your health insurance covers such as:
  Hypnotism

  Gym membership discounts

  Nutritional counseling.

Even if you have gout you can still lose weight.

You have the power to change your life.

Will you get started losing weight right now?

You’ll be glad you did!