Why Fish Oil Has No Effect On Gout, And How I Know
Fish oil does not have any effect on gout. Does not prevent it, does not makes attacks easier, no effect at all. How do I know? I will explain below.
I take six capsules of fish oil every morning, and I have been doing it for some 35 years. If you then know that I was diagnosed with gout 10 years ago, you start to understand why I can claim that they have no protective effect. I got gout despite taking fish oil for 25 years. And I have continued to do so, but now the gout is there and will not go away. I have not had any attacks in a long time, but it is not due to the fish oil, as you can read about in the post where I explain the importance of hydration, the post where I explain how I get a foot massage without anyone touching my feet, and several other posts linked at the bottom.
FISH OIL AND GOUT
Moreover, when I stop taking fish oil for a couple of weeks, there is no change in my uric acid level whatsoever. And if you know how uric acid is produced, that is not so surprising.
Uric acid is the end product of the energy production in your body, and the more energy-rich things you eat (or drink), the more purines you use and the more your liver produces uric acid. As a preparation for energy production, your body extracts the purines from the food you eat and uses them in addition to the purines your body produces naturally. When the purines are used up, they become uric acid.
If you do not eat any purines for a while, the added purines are flushed out from your body and the uric acid level returns to the natural level (between 5 and 7 mg/dL).
Now, where is the oil in this story? That is right, nowhere. Fats have other important roles to play in your body, but they do not interact with the uric acid production. So fish oil has no effect on gout.
Uric acid is the end product of the energy production in your body, and the more energy-rich things you eat (or drink), the more purines you use and the more your liver produces uric acid. As a preparation for energy production, your body extracts the purines from the food you eat and uses them in addition to the purines your body produces naturally. When the purines are used up, they become uric acid.
If you do not eat any purines for a while, the added purines are flushed out from your body and the uric acid level returns to the natural level (between 5 and 7 mg/dL).
Now, where is the oil in this story? That is right, nowhere. Fats have other important roles to play in your body, but they do not interact with the uric acid production. So fish oil has no effect on gout.
Read more on these pages (click on the links to get there).
• What are purines?
• What is uric acid and where does it come from?
• How purines become
• How much uric acid do you have in your body?
• Can you change the pH of your urine, and should you?
• Is it dangerous to be fat?
• Your heart and gout
• What are purines?
• What is uric acid and where does it come from?
• How purines become
• How much uric acid do you have in your body?
• Can you change the pH of your urine, and should you?
• Is it dangerous to be fat?
• Your heart and gout