Uric acid Levels- High, Low And Tips To Lower Naturally

Uric acid Levels- High, Low And Tips To Lower Naturally

How To Lower Uric Acid Levels?

Uric acid as you would know is a waste byproduct and is formed when the body breaks down purines-usually present in some foods. Usually, the body disposes of uric acid through pee and poop. However, the presence of high uric acid levels can happen due to varied reasons and when this happens one natural way to lower uric acid without medication is limiting purine-rich foods. And besides this, let us also see other ways of how to lower uric acid levels in this brief up.


What Is Uric Acid?

As said above uric acid is a waste product that is formed when the body breaks down the purines present in the food we take. It can as well happen when cells die and are taken away. A high concentration of uric acid usually indicates an unhealthy condition that could be due to gout, kidney problems, and many other conditions.


Normal Levels Of Uric Acid In Blood

Normally to know the level of uric acid in the blood, a simple test is done by drawing blood from the human body. The test measures the blood in deciliters (dL) and the uric acid in milligrams (mg) and is presented in number(s) with units of mg/dL.

The normal range for women is 6 mg/dL and for men, it is 7 mg/dL and anything above or below is considered as high and low uric acid levels respectively.


High Uric Acid Levels Symptoms

The high uric acid level is called as Hyperuricemia in medical terms and the common symptoms include;

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Fatigue (in certain cancer types)
  • Inflammation in joints (called "gout")
  • May go through kidney problems
  • Urination problems
  • Uric acid crystals in the urine

High Uric Acid Levels Causes

There are two types of high uric acid levels (Hyperuricemia) called primary Hyperuricemia and secondary Hyperuricemia and both of them have different causes.

Causes of primary Hyperuricemia

  • Production of high uric acid from purine
  • The inability of the kidney to eliminate uric acid

Causes Of Secondary Hyperuricemia

  • Certain types of cancers
  • Agents such as injections, medicines used in chemotherapy
  • Tumor lysis syndrome
  • Kidney diseases such as renal insufficiency
  • Few types of medicines like diuretics, immune-suppressing drugs, niacin or vitamin B-3
  • Metabolic or endocrine conditions (a few types of diabetes, or acidosis)

Other Causes Include

  • Too much alcohol
  • Genetics
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Obesity
  • Eating too much purine-rich diet
  • Psoriasis

Low Uric Acid Levels Symptoms


Low Uric Acid Levels Causes

This is called Hypouricemia and is a very rare condition. Usually, the causes include;

  • Lessened production of uric acid
  • Uric acid oxidation that is due to treatment with uricase
  • Lessened renal tubular reabsorption due to acquired or inherited disorders

How To Lower Uric Acid Naturally?

Here are the ways to naturally lower uric acid;

  • Take less purine-high foods like;
    • Organ meats
    • Turkey
    • Pork
    • Shellfish and fish
    • Mutton
    • Scallops
    • Cauliflower
    • Veal
    • Dried beans
    • Green beans, and
    • Mushrooms
  • Avoid sugar-rich foods as recent studies have found that apart from purine-rich and protein-high foods even sugar enriched foods can increase uric acid. Avoid foods specially made with sugar fructose, table sugar, corn syrup, and other sugary drinks like soda and energy drinks.
  • Drink plenty of water as it assists kidneys to flush out uric acid.
  • Limit alcohol or at the best avoid it if you sense high uric acid as few alcohols have found to be the cause for increased production of uric acid.
  • Lose weight and maintain proper BMI as fat cells produce high uric acid in comparison to muscle cells.
  • Maintain insulin levels as high insulin creates more uric acid.
  • Eat fiber-rich food such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, barley, and oats.
  • Lower your stress levels as high-stress levels may lead to inflammation which in turn leads to increased production of uric acid.
  • Also, there are few medicines such as aspirin and other medicines mentioned above. Try to avoid them maximum.

Foods That Lower Uric Acid

The following are some list of foods where you can add them to your diet to lower uric acid levels naturally;

  • Apple
  • French bean
  • Cherries
  • Berries
  • Lime
  • Low-fat dairy food
  • Vitamin c foods
  • Olive oil,
  • Bananas
  • Green tea is food that lowers uric acid.

Most of the time your answer for how to lower uric acid lies in knowing foods to avoid if you have high uric acid levels which include high-sugar, high-purine, and a few types of seafood.

Author:

Sudheendra Reddy

Sudheendra is a passionate blogger for 8 years and holds a Degree in Journalism & Mass Communications. His writings particularly focus on health, medicine, diet & lifestyle. For him, everything that interlinks and relates to health & medical world entices him. His write-ups aim at educating people not by just giving facts but by infusing human touch.