[ExI] Gout and primary sources

[BillK]

On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 9:58 PM, J. Stanton  wrote:
>
> WebMD is not a primary source.  It is an advertising-sponsored, for-profit
> institution.  And their articles don't appear to ever cite any primary
> sources.
>

I only mentioned WebMD because it is the biggest US medical website.
And yes, they probably will advertise pills to cure medical
conditions. But their medical descriptions and symptom checker are as
good as you'll get anywhere.
But all the reputable medical sites agree that fructose doesn't cause gout.
Try the Mayo clinic if you prefer. Google will provide plenty more
sites to check with.

You know, of course, that gout was a common disease of the rich
Victorians in the UK.
And they certainly didn't have fructose drinks available then.

>
> Obviously there is variation in susceptibility to gout!  However, it is
> trivially untrue to say it has nothing to do with diet (of which alcohol
> consumption is a known part).
>

I didn't say that gout was *never* caused by diet. I said that often
it had little to do with diet.


>From the Mayo Clinic:

You're more likely to develop gout if you have high levels of uric
acid in your body. Factors that increase the uric acid level in your
body include:

    * Lifestyle factors. Choices you make in your everyday life may
increase your risk of gout. Excessive alcohol use — generally more
than two drinks a day for men and more than one for women — increases
the risk of gout.

    * Medical conditions. Certain diseases and conditions make it more
likely that you'll develop gout. These include untreated high blood
pressure (hypertension) and chronic conditions such as diabetes, high
levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood (hyperlipidemia), and
narrowing of the arteries (arteriosclerosis).

    * Certain medications. The use of thiazide diuretics — commonly
used to treat hypertension — and low-dose aspirin also can increase
uric acid levels. So can the use of anti-rejection drugs prescribed
for people who have undergone an organ transplant.

    * Family history of gout. If other members of your family have had
gout, you're more likely to develop the disease.

   * Age and sex. Gout occurs more often in men than it does in women,
primarily because women tend to have lower uric acid levels than men
do. After menopause, however, women's uric acid levels approach those
of men. Men also are more likely to develop gout earlier — usually
between the ages of 40 and 50 — whereas women generally develop signs
and symptoms after menopause.
---------------

(Note - no mention of fructose drinks).

BillK