Is Drinking Tea A Good Cure For Gout?

May 6, 2018

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Looking back to the history of countries located on both east and west, tea is considered and known to be a drink which gives wonders. Also, it gives many overwhelming health benefits. However, a cup of tea is not meant to be drunk by individuals who suffer from gout.

There are various claims about tea being a good idea to treat gout. However, these are just firsthand evidence which corresponds to the fact that an individual is a tea drinker.

The goal of this article is to explain for what reason drinking tea can cause gout attacks. It makes us think is it a good choice for gout? Is it a must-avoid or a must-drink?

The Tea and The Gout

To have a better understanding of the reasons why tea will ignite a sudden outburst of gout, we should understand first the gout causes.

Below is a quick review of this even though you might probably know this already:

The gout is a type of arthritis which is caused by the uric acid crystallization in the joints and in the synovial fluids, specifically. But, the cleanest part of the body is the synovial fluids that it is like a place in which no foreign substances are allowed to exist there. Is uric acid crystal there? Nope. Therefore, there is an army of neutrophils that is mobilizing to respond every time that the uric acid crystalizes so there is the ignition of the inflammation and pain.

There is something that is probably not known by many which is that uric acid is not solely the cause of gout. The body is one of the most effective machinations if you think about it. The body has an effective self-preservation which includes the flushing out of the uric acid. then, how did the uric acid accumulate?

The uric acid is not solely junk in the body. There are other acids such as lactic acid and oxalic acid. therefore, the efforts of the liver and the kidneys are divided in excreting each acid. The kidneys are in a good mood if they are only excreting acid but suffer when there are additional acids. In simple speaking, uric acid is not the only thing that gout sufferers should avoid. To have good relief for gout, acidic foods and beverages which include teas should be avoided.

The teas’ acidity lies between the pH 6-2.5 in which the lower it is, the more acidic it is. Remember that pH 5 is ten times more acidic than 6 and pH 4 is a hundred times more acidic. Then how about the 2.5? How much more will it be? If you take an acidic meal, then the uric acid will be probably forgotten as the other acids are being excreted. Therefore, there will be an accumulation of uric acid that will lead to sudden burns in the joints.

Drink tea a day will keep the gout flare at bay

The tea is known and admired to be a miracle cure for gout. But is not at all.

The tea is considered to be alkaline for the reason that it has caffeine. Even though the caffeine is alkaline, it does not mean that the teas are entirely alkaline. It is like pouring a glass of seawater into a pool of freshwater will not make the entire pool salty. It is just a matter of the ratio of the OH and H ions.

Various claims state that caffeine is a big help in easing gout which is not true. What it does is trigger it. The caffeine is under the xanthine, a family of substances. Also, caffeine has a structure which is closely similar to allopurinol and purine. Therefore, it can produce two possible results due to its attracting the enzyme xanthine oxidase attention: it can be shattered into uric acid or avoid uric acid production for a short time.

Conclusion

The tea will probably be an addition to a long list of what not to be eaten. Even though there are several claims that it will help in curing gout, these claims are all just false. If you want to eat, remember that tea is not one of the available choices.