Uric Acid
Uric acid is elevated in PKD Polycystic Kidney Disease. In general, plant-based diets are low in purines which elevate uric acid. Urinary alkalinity keeps cystic organs healthy, ↓ kidney stones (20% PKD), ↓ uric acid (full blown gout seen in 24% PKD), ↑ kidney functioning, and it can lead to lifelong longevity. If one wishes to try an alkaline diet, the PKD/PLD diet may help. It is geared toward kidney and liver health. There have been no published human clinical trials to date. More on the PKD diet. This diet is low in both purines and oxalates.
It is said the urine uric acid is elevated long before the appearance of cysts. Clinical gout was identified in 24% of ADPKD patients. Yeast, baker's yeast, nutritional yeast are both high purine foods.
High purine foods can cause an elevation
in uric acid either when:
Not enough uric acid is eliminated
Too much uric acid is produced
If you have gout and hyper-uricemia, your body doesn't eliminate enough uric acid.This is common in PKD Polycystic Kidney Disease.
Uric acid is a chemical your body produces to digest purines, which occur naturally in most foods. Oxalates also naturally occur in foods. Maintaining low uric acid levels through restricting purines and limiting oxalate-rich foods may help guard against certain types of kidney stones, as well as gout -- a painful form of arthritis.
Purines
Some with gout symptoms do not have elevated uric acid. Sometimes physicians go into the joint and extract uric crystals to prove gout's existence. Other notable purines are hypoxanthine, xanthine, theobromine, caffeine, uric acid. Some high purine foods can be found at this link. If you are having symptoms of both gout and kidney stones, your doctor may put you on a low purine diet and a low oxalate diet.
Avoid With Gout
Uric acid elevations can be seen with PKD and with gout. Perhaps this comes about by overindulgence in meats, organ meats, seafood, alcohol with ever present PKD? Uric acid will be elevated with PKD. If one has no symptoms, this is great. If one notices great toe pain or wrist pain, then see your physician. He can aspirate the joint fluid to check for uric acid crystals. Also blood uric acid levels may become elevated.
Diet to Lower Uric Acid
A low purine diet maybe given. Particularly avoid all anchovies, baker's and brewer's yeast, animal organs, sardines, mushrooms, gravies. One needs to cut down on all meats, shellfish, pork, beef, chicken, and try to eat like a vegan. One must increase their water intake, and especially avoid purines in food. Avoid all organ meats, as well as anchovies, herring, mackerel, scallops, mussels, shrimp and lobster. Limit intake of spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, peas and cauliflower. Cut down on high-purine beans or lentils, Rice in small amounts is fine but take caution with rice, as arsenic maybe present. Avoid oats, wheat, quinoa grains. Avoid dairy. Avoid high-fat breads like pancakes, French toast, biscuits, muffins, French fries. Avoid yeast. Avoid lamb, bacon, veal, venison. Weight loss is important to decrease gout symptoms. If the weight is less, then the uric also comes down. Weight loss should be done slowly. Sometimes too rapid a weight loss can precipitate a gout attack. Cut back on fats in the diet. Decrease the protein intake and drink, drink, drink loads of water. Avoid all alcohol. Lowering the glycemic index may lower uric acid levels.
Some things that might help lower uric acid are:
Caution about drinking commercial juices that have ammonium oxalate added. A Mayo Clinic case study had a person develope renal failure due to drinking commercial juices.
