Yet only about 20% of patients stick with gout medication, in part because of side effects such as nausea and vomiting.ĪCR guidelines also recommend that patients take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), prednisone or colchicine along with allopurinol for three to six months. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) conditionally recommends gout medication for people who have just two flares a year. Most gout treatment guidelines recommend uric acid-lowering drugs like allopurinol for patients who have frequent gout attacks or joint damage on imaging tests. Study participants, who were overweight or obese and at risk of metabolic syndrome, also had a nearly 20% drop in C-reactive protein (CRP), a common measure of inflammation in the body.Īlso in 2019, a review of six studies found that tart cherry juice significantly lowered uric acid and led to less severe disease and fewer reported gout flares. In 2019, researchers reported a significant drop in uric acid among people who drank 8 ounces of diluted tart cherry juice concentrate every day for four weeks. In a small, retrospective study of 24 patients, researchers at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J., saw a 50% reduction in flares when gout patients took one tablespoon of tart cherry extract - equal to about 45 to 60 cherries - twice a day for four months. Liquid cherry extract (found in natural food stores and online) appears to provide similar benefits. In the second study, one ounce of tart cherry concentrate - the equivalent of about 90 cherries - reduced uric acid by nearly three times as much.

In one study, eating 45 fresh Bing cherries lowered blood uric acid by 14%. Two small studies, more than a decade apart, illustrate the difference between fresh cherries and cherry concentrate. Fresh cherries are delicious but harder to standardize in studies and, as a gout preventive, provide less bang for your buck. Although sweet Bing cherries have more anthocyanins than tart cherries like Montmorency, most research has focused on tart cherries, especially concentrated forms like juice, extracts and supplements.

There are dozens of varieties of cherries, but only two types: sweet and tart. Cherries are also high in vitamin C and the flavonoid quercetin, which may lower uric acid or stop it from forming. Cherries have more anthocyanins than most other fruits, including blueberries, which have long topped the list of antioxidant-rich foods. They may also help prevent long-term bone damage. These deep red, blue and purple plant pigments found in berries, grapes and plums, for examples, have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The benefits seem to come mainly from anthocyanins. A growing number of studies show they may also help many other health problems, including osteoarthritis, insomnia, heart disease, dementia, cancer and even muscle recovery after exercise. Research stretching back decades has shown that cherries decrease the chance of gout attacks, reduce disease severity and lower uric acid - usually within a few hours. But what about foods that lower uric acid and help protect joints? That’s where cherries come in. High-purine foods like red meat and beer contribute to gout because they increase uric acid in your blood.

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