About 3% of Americans have gout, an inflammatory form of arthritis that makes one or more joints hurt, stiff, and swell. Gout is different from osteoarthritis because it is caused by uric acid crystals building up inside your joint and stopping it from working normally.
Uric acid is a natural acid that forms when common chemical compounds called purines break down. Purines are found in lots of foods in varying amounts. Usually, excess uric acid is eliminated in your urine and feces. But sometimes, it builds up — and that’s when gout happens.
At his practice in Houston, Texas, Joshua D. Harris, MD, helps people with painful gout get rid of their symptoms by combining medical treatments with changes to their lifestyle, such as making big changes to their diet. He talks about some common foods that people with gout or who are at risk of getting it should stay away from in this post.
Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood. This builds up and forms needle-like crystals in the joints, leading to sudden and severe pain, tenderness, swelling, and redness Recurrent gout attacks, known as gout flares, can be debilitating and affect your quality of life While gout has a strong genetic component, diet and lifestyle factors also play a key role. One question that often comes up is does bacon cause gout? Here’s what you need to know.
How Is Bacon Linked to Gout?
Bacon contains moderate to high levels of purines. Purines are chemical compounds found naturally in some foods that break down into uric acid in the body. Consuming too many purine-rich foods can lead to hyperuricemia (high uric acid levels) which increases your risk of gout flares.
Foods particularly high in purines include:
- Organ meats like liver, kidneys, and sweetbreads
- Game meats like venison, rabbit, and boar
- Anchovies, sardines, herring, mackerel and other oily fish
- Mussels, scallops, crab, lobster and other shellfish
- Beef, bacon, pork, lamb and other red meats
Out of these, bacon is considered a high-purine food. When you eat bacon regularly, the purines get metabolized into uric acid, which builds up in the bloodstream. This causes urate crystals to accumulate around the joints, leading to sudden and painful gout attacks.
How Much Bacon Is Too Much?
Ideally, people with gout or high uric acid levels should avoid or limit bacon and other high-purine meats. However, having the occasional 2-3 strips of bacon as part of a balanced diet is unlikely to trigger a gout attack on its own It’s regularly consuming larger servings of bacon or multiple high-purine foods that poses a problem
As a general rule, people with gout should aim for no more than 3-4 ounces of low-fat meat, poultry or fish daily. This equals one small pork chop, a few slices of deli meat, or 2-3 strips of bacon. Spreading out your protein intake throughout the day, rather than in one large serving, can also help prevent spikes in uric acid.
What About Turkey Bacon and Other Lower-Purine Alternatives?
Turkey bacon contains less fat than regular pork bacon. But when it comes to purine content, both pork and turkey bacon are high. Switching to turkey bacon won’t necessarily lower your risk of gout flares.
That said, there are some lower-purine meat alternatives worth trying. These include:
- Eggs
- Deli chicken or turkey breast (without skin)
- Lean cuts of beef like sirloin or round
- Pork tenderloin or lean ham
- Salmon, trout, tuna, sardines and other oily fish
While seafood can be trigger gout due to its high purine content, the American College of Rheumatology recommends eating low-fat fish like salmon 2-3 times a week. This provides anti-inflammatory omega-3s that help reduce gout symptoms.
Other Dietary Triggers of Gout Besides Bacon
While high-purine foods like bacon play a role, they aren’t the only diet-related causes of gout flares. Some other common triggers include:
Sugary foods and beverages: Fructose, the sugar found in fruits, honey, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, is metabolized into uric acid and linked to gout risk. Limiting sugary sodas, juice, desserts, and candy can help.
Alcohol: All types of alcohol interfere with the elimination of uric acid from the body. Beer is especially problematic due to its high purine content. Wine and spirits are less likely to cause flares when consumed in moderation.
Refined carbs: Foods made with white flour, including breads, pasta, rice, and baked goods, have been associated with recurrent gout attacks. Choosing whole grain options may help.
Yeast extracts: Marmite, Vegemite and other yeast extracts are very high in purines and should be avoided.
Dehydration: Not drinking enough water prevents the kidneys from efficiently removing uric acid, increasing the likelihood of crystal formation. Aim for 8-12 glasses of fluids daily.
Lifestyle Factors That Contribute to Gout
Bacon isn’t the only culprit when it comes to gout flares. Certain lifestyle factors also raise your risk, including:
- Obesity
- Metabolic syndrome
- High blood pressure
- Kidney disease
- Family history of gout
- Previous joint injury
- Use of diuretics or low dose aspirin
The more of these risk factors you have, the more careful you’ll need to be with your diet and alcohol intake. Weight loss, exercise, smoking cessation and limiting sugar and refined carbs can all help reduce gout attacks.
Tips for Managing Gout with Diet
Dietary changes play an important role in treating and preventing recurrent gout. Here are some tips if you have gout:
- Avoid or limit high-purine meats like bacon, organ meats, game meat, shellfish and oily fish.
- Eat more plant-based protein like beans, lentils and tofu.
- Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
- Limit sugary foods and opt for complex carbs like whole grains.
- Stay well hydrated and limit alcohol, especially beer.
- Maintain a healthy body weight.
- Take any prescribed uric acid-lowering medication regularly.
While restricting purines can help reduce gout flares, avoid making too many drastic changes at once. Work with a registered dietitian to come up with a balanced gout diet plan tailored to your needs and health goals.
The Bottom Line
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Don’t ignore gout symptoms
Gout often accompanies other medical problems, like obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and kidney disease. These associations are so common, gout is often viewed as a “sentinel” disease, a medical condition that serves as a sort of early-warning system for other medical problems. Having joint pain or swelling evaluated early is critical for determining if you have gout and if you might be at risk for one of these other medical problems.
If you have gout symptoms, don’t ignore them. Instead, call 713-441-8393 or book an appointment online with Dr. Joshua Harris today and learn how he can help.
Red meats and organ meats
Beef and lamb both contain high levels of purine, so it’s crucial to avoid or limit these foods. Although not strictly “red” meat, you should also lower your consumption of pork and pork products.
Liver, kidneys, and other organ meats tend to have higher concentrations of purines. That also includes foods made from these organs, like liverwurst or kidney pie. You should also avoid glandular meats, like sweetbreads (pancreas) and game meats.
Some people say that seafood like lobster, sardines, shrimp, anchovies, scallops, and herring is better for you than other types of protein. Seafood can be good for you, but it’s also full of purines. Limiting these foods or eliminating them from your diet entirely can help reduce your symptoms.
Until recently, doctors recommended avoiding grain-based liquors, like beer and whiskeys. But more recently, research suggests that if you have gout, you’re better off avoiding alcohol — even wine. That’s because symptoms tend to be triggered by the ethanol in alcohol, not by the products used in fermentation.
Many sugary foods, especially those with corn syrup or other types of fructose (a sugar found in plants), raise uric acid levels. That includes beverages like sodas, energy drinks, and plenty of fruit juices. Many foods, even bread and ketchup, have a lot of fructose and other sugars, so read the labels carefully when you go grocery shopping.
Brewer’s yeast, nutritional yeast, and premade yeast supplements can increase uric acid levels and trigger gout symptoms. Avoid these products to help prevent flare-ups.
Processed foods are rampant in American diets and Western diets in general. Cookies, crackers, packaged baked goods, and processed foods like bacon and sausage increase the risks of lots of health problems, including gout. Avoiding these foods is a good idea whether you have gout or not.
Any list of “forbidden” foods can leave you feeling like there’s nothing “good” left to eat. Of course, that’s not true. There are plenty of delicious foods that are perfectly fine for people with gout, including:
- Low-fat dairy
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Potatoes
- Rice
- Breads
- Pasta
- Peanut butter and other nuts
The internet is an excellent resource for shopping lists and recipes that rely on low-purine foods. Just be sure any recipes or lists you use come from reputable sources.
What Causes GOUT? (Meat Doesn’t Cause Gout) 2024
FAQ
Can I eat bacon if I have gout?
What’s the worst meat for gout?
Is Bacon bad for gout?
Bacon contains a moderate amount of purine. Most people with gout should avoid eating it. However, this does not mean it is always bad for gout. Everyone’s body works differently. Some people may be able to handle higher amounts of purine. Others will need to be more selective with their food choices to avoid a gout attack.
Are beans bad for people with gout?
It is commonly believed that beans are high purine foods and should be avoided by people who are at risk for gout. But, recently, it had been proved that they do not raise uric acid levels and may even protect you from gout attacks.
Is there a gout substitute for turkey bacon?
Yes, there are alternatives like turkey bacon or leaner cuts of meat that are lower in purines and can be included in a gout-friendly diet. Additionally, plant-based protein sources like tofu and legumes can be excellent substitutes.
What foods cause gout?
Chicken or lean beef meatballs with wholegrain spaghetti and a tomato sauce with a green salad. Purines in animal products such as processed meats, including sausage, bacon, and cold cuts, certain fish, and seafood can lead to higher uric acid in the body. This may trigger gout, causing urate crystals to form in the joints and tissues.