Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis.
It is caused due to the buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints or elevated levels of uric acid in the blood.
It is characterized by sudden attacks of pain, red, hot and swollen joints.
It leads to a big toe which is pain and inflammation in the joint at the base of the big toe.
Gout may lead to other conditions like kidney stones, tophi or urate nephropathy.
It occurs due to a combination of diet and genetic factors. There are various nonsteroidal drugs and steroids that are involved in the treatment of gout.
However, changes in lifestyle and diet can play a major role in preventing gout.
However, changes in lifestyle and diet can play a major role in preventing gout.
The occurrence of gout has been strongly associated with dietary patterns like consumption of alcohol,
The occurrence of gout has been strongly associated with dietary patterns like consumption of alcohol, fructose-sweetened drinks, meat, and seafood.
It occurs due to consuming foods high in purines.
Foods containing high purines are liver, beans, and meat (beef, pork) and beer.
On the other hand, there are various foods that can be incorporated into the diet to reduce the risk of gout.
Resveratrol, a component of foods like the skin of grapes and raspberries has been found to have a preventative effect on the treatment of gout in arthritis.
What is resveratrol?
Resveratrol is a natural phenol that possesses mainly antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
It is produced by numerous plants under conditions of stress like in response to an injury or when attacked by a pathogen such as bacteria or fungi.
Resveratrol is found in foods like the skin of grapes, blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, and ligonberry.
The consumption of resveratrol has found to be beneficial for curing symptoms like inflammation, sudden attacks and swelling in patients who are suffering from the gout arthritis.
5 Evidence-Based Benefits of Resveratrol in gout
Researchers have proven multiple benefits of resveratrol in gout treatment.
1. Resveratrol reduces inflammation in gout
Experimental studies have revealed the therapeutic and preventative effect of resveratrol in preventing symptoms related to gout.
One such recent study published in the Journal of clinical rheumatology in 2016 was performed on the animal model.
The results indicated resveratrol inhibited inflammation and swelling in the joints. It also reduced serum uric acid levels.
The study concluded that resveratrol has the ability to prevent sudden attacks, inhibit inflammation and reduce serum uric acid levels in gout arthritis.
Another experimental study revealed the anti-inflammatory activity of resveratrol on addition with sodium alginate which is a pharmaceutic adjuvant on acute gout arthritis.
It was observed that resveratrol had a better effect over colchichine, a medication commonly used to treat gout.
What does this mean? Resveratrol is found to inhibit inflammation in the joints of patients suffering from Gout. It reduces levels of uric acids, prevents sudden attacks, inhibits inflammation and other related symptoms of Gout.
2. Resveratrol is a natural antioxidant
Resveratrol shows anti-oxidative properties which can prove to be essential in curing gout arthritis.
An experimental study suggested that resveratrol when used alone or in combination with sodium alginate which is a pharmaceutic adjuvant, has beneficial effects in curing acute gout.
Its anti-oxidative effect can help in reducing the oxidation of uric acid accumulated in the joints hence relieving pain and swelling.
Research identifies the benefit of antioxidant property of resveratrol in diseases like cancer.
Research shows that by counteracting harmful reactive oxygen species (agents that cause an oxidative imbalance in the body if not controlled) resveratrol alleviates pain and inflammation in arthritis.
What does this mean? Resveratrol has anti-oxidant effects which can prevent pain and swelling in the joints associated with gout.
3. Resveratrol prevents uric acid build up in gout
In an animal study performed by Shi et al. in 2012, resveratrol was found to possess anti-hyperuricemic activities i.e. it was capable of reducing the uric acid levels. Thus, indicating its ability in curing gout.
In a study conducted by Silan et al. Blood urea levels were found to increase in animal model treated with gentamicin antibiotic.
The study showed that treatment with resveratrol showed a significant decrease in lipid peroxidation and reduced activity of catalase.
Levels of urea and creatine were found to decrease in treatment with resveratrol than with gentamicin.
What does this mean? Resveratrol reduces levels of uric acid in the blood which is found in significant amounts in patients suffering from gout. High uric acid levels is the first indicator of Gout and Resveratrol can be used to reduced it's levels hence preventing occurrence of the disease.
4. Resveratrol protects kidney health in gout
Acute uric acid nephropathy, chronic urate nephropathy, and uric acid nephrolithiasis are three forms of kidney diseases that are closely associated with gout.
An experimental study published in the Journal of Molecular nutrition and food research in 2012 described an experiment conducted to evaluate the nephroprotective effects of resveratrol.
Resveratrol along with its analogs was found to prevent nephropathy in an animal model of gout.
In another study conducted by Silan et al.histopathological examination results showed that resveratrol had a protective effect against nephrotoxicity caused by gentamicin, lipid peroxidation, and cellular damage.
In an experimental study, the protective effect of Resveratrol was determined on nephrotoxicity in an animal model.
Resveratrol alleviated nephrotoxicity by its antioxidant capacity.
The study concluded that Resveratrol has the potential to protect against kidney damage in people exposed to carcinogen arsenic.
What does this mean? Gout leads to nephropathy. Resveratrol shows protective effect against nephrotoxicity and can be beneficial in treating nephropathy associated with Gout.
5. Resveratrol reduces blood pressure and protects heart health
In an experimental study published by Braz et al.in 2015 suggested that High uric acid levels as seen in Gout increase risk of renal disorders like chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and acute kidney injury.
Studies have confirmed that an increase in uric acid levels is related to hypertension. Resveratrol was found to inhibit oxidation of bad cholesterol, mitigation of liver disease, fat reduction, improvements in muscle function and cardiovascular and renal protection.
Resveratrol has effectively found to reduce hypertension including improvement in oxidative stress, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and vasodilation.
According to a study conducted by Kitada et al. Beneficial effects of Resveratrol on cardiovascular and renal diseases is due to its anti-oxidant properties against the reactive oxygen species.
What does this mean? Resveratrol shows protective effects in cardiovascular and renal diseases whose development is associated with Gout.
Dosage of Resveratrol For Gout
Plant-derived natural components like resveratrol are safe and effective when taken at a low dose.
They may have toxic or side effects when taken in high doses. Similarly, resveratrol benefits are dose dependent.
Low doses of resveratrol have protective effects on the health whereas high doses can be detrimental to health.
For curing pathological conditions like cancer, high doses may be required under a doctors supervision.
Research studies show the results of many doses of resveratrol.
Resveratrol has not shown any toxic effects in humans but there are only a few studies supporting this evidence so far.
A study conducted on ten human participants revealed that oral dosage of 5000 mg of resveratrol did not result in any adverse side effects.
Oral doses of 5-25 mg of Resveratrol is recommended for daily consumption.
Precautions
So far no studies indicate any adverse side effects of consumption or application of resveratrol.
It is considered to be safe when consumed in amounts present in the foods. However, no side effects have been seen when resveratrol is consumed in high doses.
During pregnancy, resveratrol can be consumed in the amounts present naturally in foods.
Alcohol must be avoided by pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Resveratrol might slow blood clotting and increase the risk of bleeding. It must, therefore, be avoided by people suffering from bleeding disorders like Hemophilia.
Due to the same reason, its intake must be avoided two weeks prior by people who are going to undergo surgery.
People already on medication for other diseases must consult a doctor before consuming resveratrol as it can react with their drugs and lower their effectiveness.
Conclusion
Gout is a life-altering disease.
There is an urgent need to look into the treatment related to Gout as more and more number of people are suffering from this disease as the years are passing by.
Resveratrol supplements promise to be an effective alternative to drugs involved in the treatment of gout.
It is naturally occurring and has no adverse effects on consumption or application.
It's anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and other effective properties can prove to beneficial in alleviating symptoms related to gout.
But it is essential that one brings changes in his lifestyle like dietary changes and moderate exercise along with Resveratrol supplements that can help the prevention of gout-related symptoms.