34 A content analysis of US and UK newspapers reported that 25% of articles discussing dietary management of gout advised cherry consumption. 1 29–33 Contrastingly, the Food and Drug Administration in the USA has warned cherry juice growers and processers against making preventive disease claims. 27 28ĭespite the limited scientific evidence base, leading medical societies and charities (for example, British Society for Rheumatology, European League against Rheumatism, National Institute for Clinical Excellence, Arthritis Research UK, Mayo Clinic, UK Gout Society) endorse cherry consumption as a therapeutic aid for gout. 18 21 Indeed, cherry consumption has been shown to lower a recognised biomarker of inflammation C-reactive protein (CRP) in both healthy people 18 24–26 and those with arthritis. These compounds may ameliorate the inflammatory response induced by monosodium urate crystals. In addition to lowering serum urate, cherry consumption may be of benefit in gout prophylaxis because cherries contain a variety of polyphenolic compounds with anti-inflammatory properties. 21 While there have been two intervention studies that have addressed the potential for cherry to reduce risk of gout, these were both feasibility studies with limited sample size, lack of an appropriate placebo and within-group statistical comparison. Furthermore being observational in design, causality cannot be assumed. ![]() 21 This study was predicated on an acute temporal relationship between cherry consumption and likelihood of gout flares and did not evaluate the habitual effect of cherry consumption. In a case cross-over study of 633 gout sufferers, cherry consumption was associated with a 35% lower risk of gout flares. There are very few studies in gout patients. 18–20 It is unclear which bioactive component in cherries may be responsible for the effect Bell et al proposed that anthocyanins and/or other phenolic compounds present in cherry may be important. 17 More recently, cherries and cherry products have been shown to acutely lower serum urate after consumption in healthy people, while a daily supplement of cherry juice was associated with lower serum urate in a placebo-controlled cross-over study of men and women who are overweight or have obesity. 11–16Įarly case reports from the 1950s suggested that consumption of cherries had a role to play in alleviating gouty pain and inflammation. ![]() 9 10 Consumption of purine-rich or fructose-rich food and drink, including seafood, red meat, beer and sugar-sweetened beverages have been associated with increased uric acid levels and risk of gout flares. Sustained hyperuricaemia, which most commonly occurs secondary to reduced fractional uric acid clearance, is recognised as the most important risk factor for gout. 7 8 Gout attacks are intermittent and may last from several days to up to several weeks. 6 The underlying cause is a build-up of monosodium urate crystalline deposits in the joints, particularly those of the lower limbs causing acute pain, redness and inflammation. ![]() 3–5Īcute recurrent attacks of arthritis, also known as flares, are a defining feature of gout. 3 Gout is associated with numerous comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), obesity and hypertension. 3 Men are typically at greater risk of developing gout than women and risk increases with age for both genders. 1 2 The proportion of people afflicted with gout in the UK is substantial around 3% of adults were affected in 2012, representing approximately 1.9 million people. Gout is a debilitating and common type of inflammatory arthritis exerting a significant health burden.
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