Strawberries are an alkaline fruit that provide an excellent source of minerals and nutrients, which helps prevent the risk of gout, according to recent studies. Gout comes about when uric acid, a byproduct of purine breakdown, inflames and builds up in the joints. Purine develops naturally in foods including meat, cheese and fish.
According to two recent studies, strawberries showed that they can both treat and prevent gout. A Canadian research study published in the journal “Archives of Internal Medicine” examined 46,994 males with no history of gout over 20 years; the participants with lowest intake of the same nutrients and minerals that are in strawberries manifested the highest rate of gout in result. In the other study, conducted by Johns Hopkins University, scientists published an article in the journal “Arthritis and Rheumatism” that supported strawberries reducing the levels of uric acid in people with gout.
In another study conducted by a Taiwanese scientist and published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” showed that foods high in folate like strawberries are very efficient in protecting people against gout.
Strawberries are also loaded with phytochemicals that help reduce inflammation and pain associated with gout, according to a review in an issue of “Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.”
