Gout linked to sweetened fruit juices
Another possible reason for avoiding fruit juices and sugar-sweetened soft drinks, other than weight gain, is gout – at least in men over 40, according to a story in the British Medical Journal reported on the ABC by Dr Norman Swan.
The reason is fructose, which makes up 50% of table sugar. In the laboratory, fructose raises uric acid. The question is whether in real life it’s linked to gout.
Researchers tested this in a long-term follow up of 50,000 male health professionals. There was a relationship between the amount of fructose in the diet and the chances of gout.
Two cans of sugar-sweetened soft drink a day nearly doubled the risk, as did two glasses of fruit. Whole apples and oranges were more weakly linked to gout. Diet soft drinks were not associated.
