Another short gout question, just asked, is gout coffee.
There are a couple of important things to know about gout and coffee.
- Recent research indicates that coffee drinkers have less chance of getting gout. Now that is not quite the same as saying that coffee protects you from gout, as it is a statistical, rather than clinical report.
Having said that, the figures look quite convincing. It is also relevant that coffee is a source of antioxidants, so maybe that is the reason that coffee is good for gout.
Because of the risks of over-exposure to caffeine, it is probably better to stick to decaf, especially over two or three cups per day. Decaf has a similar statistical relationship to low gout incidence that is not as pronounced, but still significant.For more information, check out my report on the coffee and gout study from a few weeks ago.
- Coffee is mildly diuretic, but still counts towards your fluid intake each day. I cannot overemphasize the importance of hydration. Do not think it just has to be water. Keep drinking all day – tea, coffee, fruit juice and milk are all good fluids, and will stop you getting bored with plain water.
For more information about the importance of hydration, see my water and gout page.
This post answers a short gout question in the gout diet section. If you still have questions about gout coffee, see my Gout Questions page for the best way to get answers.
I am confused as to tea related to gout. Am reading theobromines are highest in purines, and this is in black tea. I am going to miss my Earl Grey tea! Please advise. Tx. James
Purine food tables usually list purines per 100g. I doubt a lifetime of tea will add up to 100g of theobromine.
Not all purines are easily broken down to uric acid.
Like coffee, tea is good for gout sufferers.
How can tea be good for gout if it has theobromine, the HIGHEST on the purine list?
The most common variety of tea (Camellia sinensis) has no discernible theobromine, but even if it did, the usual range in tea is 2 to 8%, so the amount of tea used in one cup has negligible theobromine. Also, I can find no evidence to point to theobromine from any source being metabolized to uric acid.
There is some evidence that tea, especially green tea, can reduce uric acid slightly.
The topic only makes sense compared to actual uric acid test result numbers.
Could it be that coffee, tea, cola, etc. can potentially aggravate gout due to the diuretic properties of theobromine and caffeine? Coffee especially promotes urination and therefore could lead to dehydration which is very bad for gout sufferers.
No. The diuretic effect is tiny, and more than outweighed by the volume of water required to make any of the drinks you mention.
I’ll try to improve my page I linked to, coffee and gout study, to make this clearer.