Recommending Keto to Friend with Gout

(What The Fast?!) #1

Hello! One of my good family friends has finally agreed to try Keto and I agreed to be his Keto Fairy Godmother. :slight_smile: He has recently developed gout and is pre-diabetic. I want to be cautious with my recommendations because I want him to have a great experience. Can anyone with gout or who is knowledgeable about gout please let me know how I can help him while being cautious with his gout? @richard Would love your advice! @Donna I think you have some experience with this too?

He is a stubborn guy and I don’t want to overwhelm him with information either. He doesn’t want to read or listen to podcasts so I’ll need to give him a few basic rules (avoid carbs, eat lots of fat, of course)…but what changes do I recommend to avoid him having gout flare ups?

(Central Florida Bob ) #2

In my experience, there are no special rules about gout on keto. The only restriction is not to eat fructose - which is pretty much part of keto.

I came down with gout a bit over 2 years ago, so at least a full year into keto. The only thing that changed is that I take a generic prescription uric acid reduction pill. I don’t know if I’ll be on that indefinitely/forever or until my uric acid level hits some predefined number

I’ve heard Doc Nally talk about this more than most podcasts as something that’s common as people go through their early stages on keto, and that the old stories that gout comes from eating meat are just myth. It’s a metabolic problem that comes from breaking down fructose not fatty meat.

(Richard Morris) #3

Gary Taubes wrote a chapter on gout that didn’t make it into his book … but is worth reading

(Linda) #4

As a gout person, the most important thing in my experience is to never never become dehydrated. I’ve taken allopurinol for many years since I had my first gout attack by working in a hot environment and never being able to drink enough to compensate for the copious sweating.

I’ve been keto for over two years and am very careful to always be drinking something and have even managed to cut my allopurinol dose in half. I haven’t been brave enough to try not taking any at all. Gout is - shall we say - no fun at all.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #5

Thanks, Richard, for this article. Yet another way in which fructose is deadly!

(What The Fast?!) #6

Thanks all! My friend is in town visiting for the holiday and I’m feeding him all Keto foods, so hopefully this will make the transition easier.

(Doug) #7

For some people, I think this is a key thing. I’ve taken Allopurinol for 18 years, and thinking back - it was during the summer when I was working outside a lot that I first got my bad gout attacks. If it’s as simple as, “Does the uric acid stay in solution, or does it crystallize into those brutal ‘spears’ of mineral that stab one’s joints,” then it certainly makes sense.

#8

Hey, I don’t know any particular recommendations, but I just want to say that my grandfather developed Type 2 diabetes and gout. He died from complications from T2D when I was very young and I never really knew him.

Thanks for supporting your friend.

(Linda) #9

OldDoug: If I were a betting woman, I would bet that it really is that simple. I never had an attack, although my uric acid levels were always a bit high, until I worked that job in hot conditions, and you can’t just carry around enough water to be constantly drinking. I soon noticed that every attack followed a round of serious sweating.

I guess the lesson here could be placed in the thread about conventional wisdom that is wrong - getting vigorous-work-up-a-good-sweat-workouts is not good for everyone all of the time. Unless you want to spend the following week sitting down staring at your big fat red hot big toe joint and hobbling from room to room.

(Chris Meirose) #10

Yes. So much this. Dehydration is at the root of every gout episode I’ve ever had. I do now take Allopurino 100mg for mine (the magic gout drug), but even with that, dehydration can still trigger me.

(Kristen Ann) #11

You’re a good friend! :smile: