People who eat cherries are less likely to suffer from gout, popularly known as gout, reports the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Gout is a type of arthritis caused by too much urea in the blood. Its crystals build up under the skin and around the joints – especially the feet – causing very painful attacks and swelling. Glomerular damage and kidney stones can also occur. The onset of the disease is favored by an unhealthy lifestyle – overweight, excess alcohol, too much meat consumption – and the use of certain medications. It affects approximately one person in a hundred, with men suffering from it 2 to 3 times more often.
According to the team of Dr. Yuqing Zhang from Boston University, patients with gout who consumed cherries two days earlier were down 35 percent. less likely to experience painful bouts of gout than those who didn’t eat cherries. The study involved 633 patients suffering from gout, mainly men – their average age was 54 years. Subjects were followed online for a year, including details of their diet and reported symptoms. Overall, 1247 attacks of gout were reported during the entire study period. Cherries or their extract were consumed by about 42 percent. subjects.
The beneficial effects of cherries were observed only when they were consumed in the form of no more than three portions (a portion is 10 to 12 fruits) within two days. The higher doses did not have a stronger effect. Cherry eaters had gout attacks by 37 percent. more often than those who did not eat the fruit at all.
If the patients ate cherries or cherry extract and took the typical anti-gout drug allopurinol, the risk of seizures was 75%. smaller than if they didn’t do any of these things.
According to experts, the explanation may be that cherries contain anthocyanins – antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (PAP) have similar properties.
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