Glycemic Index and Gout

What is Glycemic Index?

Glycemic Index (GI) is a measurement carried out on carbohydrate-containing foods and their impact on our blood sugar. GI is a relatively new way of analyzing foods. Previously, most meal plans designed to improve blood sugar analyzed the total amount of carbohydrates (including sugars and starches) in the foods themselves. GI goes beyond this approach by looking at the impact of foods on our actual blood sugar levels.

Study on Glycemic Index and Uric Acid Levels

A study was carried out with a sample of 163 participants who were obese or overweight. The participants were fed 4 diets over a 5 week period with one containing foods with a high glycemic index with a high percentage of carbs, one with a low glycemic index with low percentage of carbs, one with low glycemic index and high percentage in carbs and lastly one with high glycemic index and low percentage in carbs. The patients’ uric acid levels were measured at the beginning and at the end of each diet period.

The study found that by consuming foods with a lower glycemic index results in lowering uric acid levels.. This has a profound impact on Gout patients as uric acid levels has a direct relationship to occurrences of Gout.

Here’s a table of foods with varying levels of Glycemic Index


References: Effects of Lowering Glycemic Index of Dietary Carbohydrate on Plasma Uric Acid Levels: The OmniCarb Randomized Clinical Trial - 2016 May http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26636424