Recently, gout medical studies have found that coffee can actually be beneficial for treating gout. The results of these studies are very interesting as coffee has long been considered a beverage that should be avoided by gout sufferers, as it is believed caffeine raises uric acid levels (increased uric acid levels in the blood is the main culprit behind gout attacks. Gout is characterized by swelling and intense pain in an affected joint – commonly the big toe). However, though caffeine may still be a risk factor, there appears to be an ingredient(s) in coffee that has the opposite effect.
Gout medical research that concluded in the spring of 2007 discovered that the more coffee men consume the lower their risk of gout. In this CanadianAmerican study which was published in the Arthritis & Rheumatism journal June 2007, it was found that men who drank a minimum of 4 cups of coffee daily, lowered their gout risk by as much as 40%.
The study was based on data that was collected from over 45,000 male medical professionals who participated in the study. It was found that after 12 years of study, just over 750 of the more than 45,000 men who drank tea and coffee developed gout. Based on self-reports kept by each medical professional, those conducting the study were able to determine that while tea had no effect, the more coffee the men consumed, the more they reduced their risk of developing gout.
