10 Best Ways Suggested By Experts To Control Uric Acid

What is Uric Acid

Know About Uric Acid

Uric acid is a by-product of our body which is excreted by kidneys. It is generated during the metabolism process of the body, specially from break down of purine. If someone's kidney function is not normal, then uric acid cannot be completely excreted and its level starts increasing in the body. 

If the kidneys are functioning well but there is more uric acid generation in the body than the capacity of the kidneys, the level of uric acid may increase. It can be due to metabolic disorder or consumption of high purine diet.

All vital organs of the body such as heart, lungs, brain and kidneys work their different functions. In this, kidneys perform the most important role in the body, they filter out many chemicals, minerals and waste materials generated in the body and remove them through urine. 

Increased amount of uric acid in the body is scientifically called hyperuricemia. Hyperuricemia may lead to formation of uric acid crystals or urate. The accumulation of these crystals can cause gouty arthritis and/or kidney stones. 

Due to rapidly changing day-to-day activities and diet, the level of uric acid in the body increases. 

How Uric Acid Is Produced In The Body

In the language of organic chemistry, uric acid is a heterocyclic organic compound. Its molecular formula is C5H4N4O3 (7, 9-dihydro-1H-purine-2, 6, 8(3H)-trione) with molecular weight of 168 Daltons. There are many enzymes which are involved in the metabolism of purine in humans.

These enzymes help in the conversion of adenine and guanine which are the components of purine nucleic acids to uric acid. 

There are two main sources of purines in the body: food and dead cells. Most of the uric acid is excreted in urination and bowel movements. Uric acid reaches the kidneys through the blood, the kidneys balance it according to the needs of the body and removes excess acid through urine. 

What Should Be The Normal Amount Of Uric Acid In The Blood?

Uric Acid Test

Hemolysis, rhabdomyolysis, and tumor lysis can lead to elevated level of uric acid in the body. Apart from the result of increased production of uric acid due to above conditions, decreased excretion of uric acid due to renal insufficiency and metabolic acidosis can also cause an increase in uric acid level. In addition, it can be a combination of both processes (increased production and decreased excretion). 

To detect uric acid in the blood, doctor may ask the patient for a blood test, through which it is known what the level of uric acid in the patient's blood is. This test is very simple, its report comes soon. In this test, uric acid is measured in milligrams (mg) and blood in deciliter (dL). 

 

The normal uric acid standards of women and men are different, in general, as mentioned below: 

1. For women, it is 1.5 to 6.0 mg/dL.

2. For men, it is 2.5 to 7.0 mg/dL. 

Age and gender have an impact on uric acid levels. Both males and females have an average serum uric acid level of 3.6 mg/dl prior to puberty. Urinary acid levels can fluctuate briefly for a number of other reasons, including exercise, diet, drugs, and dehydration. 

What Are The Causes Of Increased Uric Acid (Hyperuricemia) Levels?

There are many reasons which can affect the level of Uric acid. For example diet, obesity, and Metabolic Syndrome. 

Most of the blood uric acid levels increase when more purine is made in the body or more purine is taken through food, apart from this, the level of uric acid also increases due to reduced kidney function. Sometimes both situations happen together. 

Some of the reasons for increasing uric acid are as follows:

1. The patient is overweight or obese
2. Taking diuretics
3. Intake of foods rich in purines (include organ meats (especially the liver and the kidneys), anchovies, legumes, sardines, yeast and beer.
4. Consuming foods with more fructose 
5. Alcohol consumption
6. Genetic problems 
7. Hypothyroidism
8. Decreased kidney function or kidney failure
9. Treatments such as chemotherapy that increase dead cells in the body.
10. In diseases like cancer, uric acid increases due to the growth of cells in the body.

What Happens If The Level Of Uric Acid In The Blood Is Increased?

If the level of uric acid in the patient's blood is found to be higher than the above standards, then many problems can occur. 

Some are listed below:

Gouty arthritis

With the increase in the level of uric acid in the blood, its crystals are formed in the body and they affect the joints of the body such as hands and toes and take the form of a disease like gout. It affects 1-2% of adults in developed countries and is considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Uric acid values higher than 7.0 mg/dl is a risk factor for the development of gout. 

Renal calculi

Apart from this, the patient may have kidney disease such as kidney stones etc. due to increased levels of uric acid.

 

Metabolic Syndrome

Meta-analysis has recently shown that uric acid elevation is related to an increase in (coronary artery disease) infarction and mortality events, and epidemiological studies showed that uric acid is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, particularly in hypertensive and diabetic individuals. It is also speculated that uric acid is one of the determinants of the metabolic syndrome.

There are some symptoms that you can identify by looking at that uric acid is increasing -  

1. Pain in the joints. 
2. Difficulty in getting up and sitting. 
3. Swelling in the fingers
4. Complaints of lumps in the joints
5. Apart from this, there is pricking pain in the fingers of the feet and hands which becomes unbearable at times. 
6. Tiredness

If you ever see any of these symptoms, contact the doctor.

How To Control Uric Acid

1. An overweight or obese person should focus on to reduce weight on priority . It can be done by diet modification and exercises. Studies show that gradual weight reduction is more effective than drastic weight loss. Drastic weight loss may cause ketosis leading to increase in uric acid levels. 
2. Reduce the intake of foods that are high in purines, such as meat, seafood, etc. produce more uric acid after digestion.
3. Avoid foods and beverages which are rich in sugar content. Refined or processed food also contains high amounts of sugar. 
4. Fructose and glucose are found in drinks, sodas and even fresh fruit juices. Fructose absorbs faster than other sugars. The faster it absorbs, the faster it increases blood-sugar levels and uric acid.
5. Consume dairy products such as milk, milk fat and enriched skim milk  in your diet. Although, exact mechanism is not known, yet dairy products are found to be beneficial in reducing uric acid levels.  
6. Cherries are supposed to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidants properties. Due to these properties, they are considered beneficial in reducing uric acid levels. 
7. High fiber content in your diet can help to get rid of uric acid. Researchers believe that increased fiber intake probably inhibits purine or adenine absorption in the body. Fiber also controls blood-sugar levels. Apart from this, fiber is found in plenty in fibrous vegetables.
8. Drink plenty of water. Drinking plenty of water removes uric acid from the kidneys rapidly. You can also put water reminders in your phone. 
9. Researchers found that there is a link between stress and high uric acid level. In a study when diazepam was administered to reduce stress, the uric acid level was also suppressed. 
10. Good sleep is also important as sleep promotes healing and recovery. Make your bedtime and waking time and follow it religiously.

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