It is often difficult to understand which lab values mean what. We give you an overview in the series "What do my lab values mean?".

Uric acid

Over-acidity of the body is a major health risk. This leads to an increased tendency to inflammation. There are several laboratory readings that provide information about this. In this newsletter we will look at uric acid. This laboratory value gives interesting information about the general state of health.

  Uric acid is a marker for insidious "silent inflammation". This damages the body long before the first subjective symptoms appear. Complaints caused by elevated uric acid levels, such as joint inflammation and gout, usually go hand in hand with other typical civilisation diseases that reduce life expectancy: obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, high blood lipids, etc. The value for uric acid is determined by taking a blood sample. In the past, the determination of uric acid was part of the preventive medical check-up, but now this value is only determined on the initiative of the attending physician. In our practice, the uric acid value is also measured with every blood analysis.

Normal values

The normal value for uric acid in men is between 3.5 and 7.0 mg/dl, in women between 2.5 and 6.0 mg/dl. High normal values above 5.0 mg/dl are considered critical and should be reduced by appropriate dietary changes. Values above the indicated normal values are called "hyperuricemia" (overloading of the blood with uric acid). Uric acid is produced in the body by the breakdown of purine-containing proteins. Uric acid is excreted by 80% through the kidneys.

Uric acid and acidosis

At a normal pH (acidity) of the body around or above 7.4, uric acid is liquid. When the body becomes "acidic", which usually happens with a diet high in sugar and meat and stress, uric acid forms crystals that can be deposited in the tissues. Such deposits lead to severe pain and inflammation - typical gout. But even without deposits in the tissues, high uric acid levels are almost always associated with other risk factors that more or less shorten life expectancy.

"Metabolic syndrome"

These risk factors are called the "metabolic syndrome" or "deadly quartet". They include obesity, high blood lipids, high blood pressure and (incipient) diabetes. In the original description of the "metabolic syndrome", elevated uric acid ("hyperuricemia") was cited instead of overweight. From a holistic medical point of view, the "metabolic syndrome" should be a "quintet", which also includes the increased uric acid. The more these 5 parameters are elevated individually or together, the higher is the tendency to inflammation and the risk of disease and death from cardiovascular diseases.

Deposits of uric acid

Uric acid can be deposited particularly easily in the kidneys and urinary tract, and in the joints. Deposits in the urinary tract lead to kidney stones, which cause colic, but can also block the excretion of urine. If uric acid is deposited in joints, this leads to extremely painful attacks of gout. This happens particularly easily when the blood circulation in the hands or feet is reduced by cold, such as during winter sports with little movement (curling). But gout attacks can also easily occur in summer, when the body dries out through sweating. Increased uric acid levels also occur with sudden weight loss due to fasting, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Diet and uric acid

Two groups of foods in particular contribute to the formation of uric acid:

1. Fructose: Fructose from corn is the most commonly used industrial sweetener. Known as high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), it is used to improve the taste of sweet drinks, soft drinks, cereals and many industrially produced foods.
2. Purine-containing foods: these are mainly red meat, offal, gravies, marine products (such as sardines and anchovies), mushrooms and some pulses such as lentils.

Alcohol inhibits the excretion of uric acid through the kidneys.

Prevention and treatment

To reduce uric acid, one should reduce all foods that contain fructose and sugar, as well as industrially produced convenience foods, meat, sea products and alcohol. Dairy products, although also of animal origin, lower uric acid, while soy products increase uric acid. Fructose in fresh fruits is not a risk for uric acid because their natural content of vitamin C lowers uric acid.

Natural remedies for lowering uric acid:

• Lemons and limes
• Sour cherries
• Amla fruit (MA1)
• Triphala (MA505)
• Ashwagandha (MA686)
• Alkaline powder
• Cinnamon
• Probiotics with high lactobacillus content