Results of a recent research project, carried out by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, indicates that people with existing risk factors for heart disease may have an increased risk for heart attack or stroke if they also develop gout.

The study involved over 9,000 men who were between 41 and 63 years old. They all had above average risk for heart disease, with factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking.

The researchers found that after 17 years the men who developed gout were 30% more likely to die from cardiac arrest or other cardiovascular disease than those without gout.

Not all men with elevated uric acid levels develop gout. Men in this study that had high levels of uric acid, but did not develop gout, did not have a higher risk of cardiovascular related death.

This study supports the findings in a 2004 study of 1,423 middle aged Finnish men. That research found that men with excess uric acid in the blood had a 250% greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease than those with normal levels.

One theory is that an excess of uric acid in the bloodstream causes “oxidative stress”, which results in the LDL cholesterol being oxidized. Oxidized LDL is viewed as more dangerous because it causes hardening and narrowing of the arteries.

Originally posted 2008-07-22 21:20:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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In 2000 Doctors at the National Institute of Public Health in Finland published findings of a study that linked consumption of coffee to RA. They monitored a group of 19,000 people over a 15 year period. None of the test group had indication of arthritis at the beginning of the study. Based on survey responses they found that people that drank 4 or more cups of coffee a day were at double the likelihood of developing arthritis than those who consumed less. They also found that people who drank more than 10 cups a day were 15 times as likely to develop RA as non-drinkers. They took into account other factors such as smoking, weight, age and gender. It was pointed out by the coffee industry that at the time the data was collected Scandinavians drank very strong, boiled coffee which is not typically preferred today.

In late 2001 researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham reported that a study of 31,000 women aged 55 to 69 were more than twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis if they drank more than 4 cups a day of decaffeinated coffee. They stated that it may not be the absence of caffeine, but rather the process used to decaffeinate the coffee, that triggers the arthritic response. Another finding in this study is that women that drank more than 3 cups of tea a day had a sixty percent less chance of developing RA than those who did not drink tea. They did not identify if a specific type of tea was more advantageous than another.

Then in a 2004 study, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Woman’s Hospital discounted the results of the Finnish study saying the there was little evidence that coffee consumption was linked to rheumatoid arthritis. Their study included a follow up survey of over 70,000 participants of a 1980 food frequency questionnaire. They also adjusted the results for other factors including changes in diet, alcohol consumption and oral contraceptive use. They concluded that the data supporting the Finnish study were inconsistent since the information was collected at only one point in time.

Now comes a report that drinking 4 or more cups of coffee a day reduces the risk of gout in men. This is based on two studies that also concluded that levels of uric acid in the blood were significantly lower for men and women with increasing consumption of coffee. The first study conducted by the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, University of British Columbia, Brigham and Women’s and Harvard Medical school included nearly 46,000 men over age 40 that had no indication of gout. This group was followed over 12 years and was asked to indicate their intake of several different caffeinated and decaffeinated items such as coffee, tea, cola and chocolate. The researchers then determined the relative risk of developing gout related to regular consumption of these foods and beverages. They found that men who drank 4 to 5 cups of coffee a day had a 40 percent lower risk of gout, and men who drank 6 or more cups a day had a 59% reduced risk. The second study gathered information from the participants regarding their coffee and tea consumption over the prior month and then assessed the uric acid level in their blood. This study’s findings were that there was a significant reduction in the uric acid levels with increasing consumption of coffee, but not with tea. However, they did not find a correlation between caffeine consumption and decreased uric acid levels leading them to conclude that there are other components of coffee that lead to the reduced uric acid levels.

So what do we do with this information? File it away under interesting facts. As with most things, moderation is usually the best course of action. It may not help you, but it won’t kill you.

Originally posted 2007-10-26 20:22:44. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Another of these foods that has been researched in recent years is tart red cherries.

A study conducted in 2003 by the University of California, Davis was the first to test for key inflammatory indicators, called markers, in blood samples from healthy people. Prior studies had analyzed sweet and tart cherry extracts in test tubes.

The primary focus of the investigation was gout, which results from the body’s inability to excrete uric acid. This excess uric acid forms crystals which settle in joints, primarily the big toe, and cause severe pain. The precursor of these crystals is urate and it was the blood plasma urate level that was being measured. They also measured the amount of urate removed from the body through urine.

There were 10 women is this study who were 22 to 40 years of age. They were given instructions not to eat strawberries or other fruits and vegetables, or drink red wine or tea for 2 days prior to the test because these foods are high in antioxidants and the researchers did not want these to interfere with the results of the cherry analysis.

On the day of the test they were given 45 pitted fresh cherries for breakfast. Blood and urine samples were then taken at 1-1/2, 3 and 5 hours afterward.

The results showed that their plasma urate levels were significantly reduced over the 5 hours following the breakfast. Likewise, the level of urate removed through the urine increased over those 5 hours.

There were other inflammation markers the researchers looked for. These include C-reactive protein (CRP), nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF).

CRP is produced in the liver and increases rapidly during inflammation. Normal levels are extremely low. TNF alpha is produced by the body when fighting tumors and may increase inflammation. NO is a biochemical that is believed to cause damage to arthritic joints.

Results from the blood draw 3 hours after eating the cherries showed that levels of CRP and NO were lower than at the start of the test. However, the TNF alpha level was unchanged.

A follow up study, which included 18 women and 2 men, was conducted over a longer period. This group was asked to consume the same amount of cherries as the earlier group, but throughout the day for 28 consecutive days.

This study reported a 25% decrease in CRP by the 28th day and an 18% decrease in NO after 21 days. The report concluded that, “supplementing the diets of healthy men and women with cherries reduced the serum/plasma concentrations of some markers of inflammation, whereas circulating concentrations of many other markers of inflammation, lipids and their subfractions, and particle sizes were not affected. The anti-inflammatory effects of cherries may be of clinical significance and should be investigated in further studies. “

Originally posted 2008-09-26 21:48:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Arthritis Australia hopes that these activities will make all Australians aware that arthritis is not a natural part of ageing but a disease that affects many people of working age and also children.

Arthritis includes more than 100 different diseases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter’s syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus), that affect the musculoskeletal system.

Pain, stiffness, inflammation, and damage to the cartilage, bones and other structures within the joints are all common manifestations of arthritis. Although it cannot be cured, the symptoms and impacts of arthritis can be reduced through early diagnosis and appropriate treatment and management.

An estimated three million Australians – 15 per cent of the population – have some form of arthritis, the most common types being osteoarthritis (affecting more than 1.5 million Australians) and rheumatoid arthritis (affecting around 491,000 Australians).

Although the number of people who have arthritis increases with age, about one in every four Australians with arthritis are less than 50 years of age and there are an estimated 4600 Australians with arthritis who are less than 16 years.

In 2003, around 34 per cent of people with a disability reported that arthritis or another musculoskeletal condition was their main disabling condition.

In 2004-05, arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions accounted for the fourth highest amount of direct health expenditure at a total of $4 billion. Close to one-third of this amount was spent on osteoarthritis, with hospital inpatient costs accounting for a large proportion.

In cases of severe osteoarthritis, people may have their symptoms relieved and joint function improved through joint replacement. More than 17,000 total hip replacements and almost 25,000 total knee replacements for arthritis were performed in Australian hospitals in 2006-07, most of these for osteoarthritis.

Originally posted 2009-03-25 06:00:12. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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For twenty years beginning in 1986 researchers appraised the association between vitamin C and the incidence of gout. Their study was based on nearly 47,000 men who had no history of gout. The participants were evaluated based on a questionnaire at the start and every four years thereafter.

Among the participants there were 1317 cases of gout during the twenty years of the study. The researchers found that men who took 1,000-1,499 milligrams of vitamin C per day had a 34% reduced risk of gout compared to men who didn’t take any vitamin C supplements. As the amount of vitamin C increased the risk of gout decreased. The men who took 1,500 milligrams per day had a 45% reduced risk compared to those who didn’t take any.

The researchers found that the association between vitamin C and reduced incidence of gout was not impacted by dietary of other risk factors and that it was statistically significant.

“Higher vitamin C intake is independently associated with a lower risk of gout,” the study authors write. “Supplemental vitamin C intake may be beneficial in the prevention of gout.”

Limitations of this study include dietary consumption self-reported by questionnaire; observational design; lack of confirmation of gout diagnosis by observation of urate crystals in joint fluid; and restriction to health professionals, limiting generalizability.

Originally posted 2009-04-01 18:48:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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