CreakyJoints reports on the connection between drinking alcohol and gout, and considerations to keep in mind of optimal health.

CreakyJoints spoke to Theodore R. Fields, MD, FACP, rheumatologist at HSS, who explained, “Alcohol makes the uric acid be pulled back into the body, with less [expelled] in the urine. This leads to elevated blood levels of uric acid.” Dr. Fields added, “If you’ve been diagnosed with gout and are managing it with medication for the long term, occasional intake of high-purine foods, like red meat and shellfish, and a small amount of alcohol is generally okay. High quantities of any of these have a good chance of setting off gout flares, especially in the untreated patient or the patient early-on in the use of a medication such as allopurinol.”

Read the article at Creakyjoints.org.