High Uric Acid- Causes, Effects and Remedies

1. What is Uric Acid?

Uric acid (C₅H₄N₄O₃) is an organic compound, consisting of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen. It is a natural component of blood and is also produced by protein metabolism in human body or breakdown of purine-rich food. It is partially soluble acid. Putting it in the simplest form, uric acid is a metabolic waste product that can be found in blood and urine and the same gets filtered by kidneys.  

1. What is the normal level of uric acid in blood?

Normal level of uric acid in blood may vary depending on the laboratory where your blood is being investigated and the methods they are applying to measure uric acid. But on an average, in general the normal level of uric acid in blood can be mentioned as below (follow the chart)- 

Normal Uric Acid Levels

* Milligrams per deciliter 
 
 
 
 
 

3.  What causes uric acid level going up?

As we have defined uric acid as the end waste produce of purine-rich food, it is evident that intake of more purin-rich food is the monster that increases the uric acid level in human blood. But, it is to mention that this is not the sole cause of high uric acid level. The causes of high uric acid in blood can be enumerated as below- 

·     Intake of high purine food e.g. animal protein, kidney, brain, sweetbread, gravy, mackerel, herring etc.

·     Breakdown of cells having high purine content in human body

·     Failure of kidneys to flush out the excess uric acid in blood ( may be caused by intake of alcohol)

·     Lesser drinking of water

·     Obesity

·     Genetic (some other member (s) of your family have it)

·     High blood pressure and cardiac conditions (may be indirectly related)

·     Medication/ drugs that can increase uric acid levels e.g. aspirin, ascorbic acid, epinephrine, caffeine, nicotinic acid etc.

4.  Effects of high uric acid:

There are many effects of being high on uric acid. The most discussed and prominent one is gout. The possible issues that may arise as a result of high uric acid level are as below-

·     Gout- Caused by the accumulation of excess serum uric acid. It is a kind of arthritis

·     Ischemic heart disease

·     Uric acid stone in kidneys- This happens when serum uric acid gets crystallized in kidneys

·     Diabetes- Since 20^th century it is known that high serum uric acid is associated with insulin resistance resulting in Type 2 Diabetes

5.  Remedies of high uric acid-

There are many natural and dietary remedies to reduce uric acid level. But if the acid level is very high and dietary control does not show enough progress, medication under the guidance of a specialist is advisable. The remedies to high uric acid are enumerated below-

·     Stop taking foods having high uric acid content (purine-rich food) e.g. animal protein, anchovies, mushroom, sweetbread, sardines, beer, yeast, peas, lentils etc.

·     Take 500mg of Vitamin C(vitamin C sources: broccoli, lychee, Indian gooseberry, garlic, grapefruit, guava, orange, lemon, strawberry etc.) everyday

·     Increase intake of vegetables but avoid legumes and beans. Try to gradually shift to vegetarian diet

·     Taking a glass of milk everyday will also help in reducing uric acid. But beware of the fact that persons high on triglyceride should not intake dairy products.

·     Drink purified filtered water to cleanse  your body- drink plenty of water so that kidney can flush out excess uric acid

·     Avoid alcohol and junk foods

·     Loose weight- 30 to 40 min of fast walking is good enough and if possible do some light exercise as well

·     Avoid refined foods, processed foods, fatty foods etc.