Tomatoes, one of the most commonly eaten foods, tomato scrambled eggs, tomato beef stew...... However, some people say that gout patients can't eat tomatoes, why is that? Do tomatoes really affect gout? Let's find out!
Can't people with gout eat tomatoes?
(1) Why do some people say that you can't eat tomatoes for gout?
First of all, from the purine content, tomatoes belong to low-purine foods. According to the "Chinese Food Composition Table", the purine content in 100 grams of tomatoes is about 17 mg, which is a low-purine food. Therefore, in terms of direct purine content, tomato has little effect on uric acid. So, why do some people on the Internet say that tomatoes should not be eaten for gout? This conclusion comes from a survey.
- In one survey, foods that caused gout attacks included seafood (62.5%), alcohol (47.1%), red meat (35.2%) and tomatoes (20.2%), according to the feedback of gout patients.
- In response to this possibility, the researchers analyzed data from three long-term health studies and found that tomato intake was positively correlated with blood uric acid levels.
Tomatoes are not high in purines, how does it affect uric acid and gout? Researchers believe that it is because tomatoes contain more glutamate, and glutamic acid provides the raw material for the synthesis of purines - nitrogen, which indirectly promotes the synthesis of uric acid. In addition, tomatoes contain more phenolic acids, which may inhibit the excretion of uric acid in the kidneys. Combined with the above factors, excessive consumption of tomatoes may lead to an increase in uric acid, which can induce gout.
Glutamate, phenolic acids, etc. in tomatoes may affect gout
(2) Does tomato have a big impact on gout?
So, how much does tomato affect gout? It's hard to judge.
Because there are both negative and favorable factors in tomatoes. Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, lycopene, flavonoids, vitamin A and other nutrients, many of which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and promote uric acid excretion.
Under the interaction of unfavorable factors and favorable factors, the final effect of tomato on gout cannot be measured by dosage, and further research needs to be proven. In fact, there is a lack of more evidence on whether tomatoes cause gout attacks, and there is no restriction on tomato intake in the current gout dietary guidelines.
Therefore, it is necessary to be suspicious about whether tomatoes cause gout. Tomatoes are certainly edible for people with gout, but large amounts of tomatoes should be avoided as much as possible. For healthy people, uric acid metabolism is normal, tomato is not the cause of hyperuricemia, you can eat normally or eat more, after all, tomato is a nutritious vegetable, which has a protective effect on blood pressure, cardiovascular and so on.
Normal consumption of tomatoes should not have much effect on gout
(3) How to eat tomatoes correctly for gout patients?
According to the existing evidence, tomato may have a certain effect on gout attacks, but the impact is not particularly large, far lower than the effect of high-purine foods such as animal offal, crustacean seafood and thick broth, therefore, it is not a food that needs to be strictly restricted, we only need to avoid excessive intake in the acute phase or in the case of particularly high uric acid, I think it is okay to eat normally.
But when eating tomatoes, pay attention to:
- (1) Green tomatoes may have certain toxicity, so try to avoid eating them, especially on an empty stomach or with other acidic foods;
- (2) Tomatoes are also commonly used in stewed meat and hot pot, if the purine content of meat ingredients is very high, purines dissolved into the soup, which may have a greater impact on uric acid and cause gout, while tomato scrambled eggs and tomato egg soup have no hidden dangers in this regard;
If you stew meat with tomatoes, gout sufferers still have to eat less
For patients with gout, the following points should be paid attention to in dietary control:
- (1) Limit the intake of high-purine foods - animal offal, crustacean seafood, gravy, thick broth, etc.;
- (2) Limit fructose intake – soda, milk tea, juice, ice cream, cakes, desserts, etc.;
- (3) Limit alcohol intake - beer, liquor, rice wine, etc.;
- (4) Limit the intake of high salt, sugar, and fat - edible salt, pickles, mustard, processed meat, fatty meat, processed sugar, etc.;
- (5) Increase vegetable intake – fresh vegetables, especially dark vegetables, such as carrots, onions, purple cabbage, broccoli, etc.;
- (6) Increase drinking water - boiled water, mineral water, a small amount of lemonade or weak tea;
- (7) Increase egg and milk intake – eggs, duck eggs, quail eggs, low-fat or skim milk.