According to a pilot study, a plant-based diet with Mediterranean influences decreased uric acid levels and self-reported gout measurements. According to Anna Kretova, RD, who presented the data at the annual research symposium of the Gout Hyperuricemia and Crystal-Associated Disease Network, there hasn’t been much research on nutrition in gout. According to a 2019 systematic evaluation of low-calorie, low-purine, and Mediterranean diets, only those following the Mediterranean diet were able to reach uric acid levels below 0.6 mmol/L, she said. A 2020 study examined the effects of a plant-based, low-fat, high-carb diet with an animal-based, ketogenic diet in healthy people. After two weeks, individuals following the plant-based diet had a decrease in uric acid levels, whereas those following the animal-based, low-carb diet saw an increase.

Saturated fats, animal protein, and ultraprocessed foods are among the foods that are thought to be proinflammatory and typically originate from animals. The majority of foods with anti-inflammatory qualities are unprocessed, plant-based, and frequently high in fiber. Kretova, a registered dietitian and researcher at the Reade Rehabilitation and Rheumatology Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, stated, “We also know from recent interventional studies that the whole-foods plant-based diet has shown to be effective as treatments of the main comorbidities of gout, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, or [osteoarthritis].”

Plant-based diet

These results prompted the researchers to create a plant-based, whole foods diet and assess its impact on gout patients’ serum uric acid levels, gout disease activity, and risk for cardiovascular disease. Meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products were prohibited for participants. 33 gout patients participated in the experiment and were assigned to either a wait-list control group (n = 15) that got conventional therapy or a 16-week intervention that included five consultations with a qualified dietitian (n = 18). Ninety-one percent were men, and the average age was 52. The median uric acid level was 0.50 mmol/L (8.4 mg/dL), while the mean body mass index (BMI) was 32.6 kg/m2.