How to Lower Uric Acid Levels: Understanding the Gout Diet

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Learn what kills uric acid and how to implement it in your diet

Co-authored by Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA Medically reviewed by Erik Kramer, DO, MPH

Last Updated: August 23, 2024 Fact Checked

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Choosing Foods to Reduce Uric Acid

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Avoiding Foods that Increase Uric Acid

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Taking Medication to Lower Uric Acid

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Tips

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Warnings

Dealing with gout or kidney stones caused by high uric acid levels is unpleasant. Uric acid is a waste product made when your body processes purine, which occurs naturally in your body and certain foods.^{[1]
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MedlinePlus
Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine

Go to source} You can reduce uric acid fast by choosing foods that help flush it from your system and avoiding foods that increase uric acid. Your doctor can also prescribe medications to help you achieve a healthy level of uric acid.

How to Lower Uric Acid Fast

Eat vitamin-C rich foods like oranges, strawberries, and broccoli.
Drink 1-2 cups of coffee per day.
Eat cherries or drink tart cherry juice.
Cook meals with fresh produce, beans, and whole grains.
Eat high fiber foods like legumes, potatoes, and carrots.
Consume a daily serving of low-fat dairy.
Drink at least 64 fl oz (1.89 L) of water per day.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Choosing Foods that Reduce Uric Acid

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1
Get more vitamin C through your diet or a supplement. Vitamin C may reduce the levels of uric acid in your body.^{[2]
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PubMed Central
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Go to source} You can take a vitamin C supplement or eat foods that are high in vitamin C. To increase your vitamin C consumption, eat more oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, green peppers, red sweet peppers, broccoli, kiwi, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cantaloupe.^{[3]
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- Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements. Ask your doctor how much vitamin C is right for you.
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Drink 1-2 cups of coffee daily. Both regular and decaffeinated coffee may lower your uric acid levels. Moderate coffee consumption is all it takes to see positive effects, so you only need to drink 1 or 2 cups every day.^{[4]
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- Regular coffee may cause jitters in some people. If you experience jitters, you might try decaffeinated coffee.
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Eat cherries or drink tart cherry juice, which may reduce uric acid levels. Cherries may reduce your uric acid levels and may prevent gout flare ups, though the scientific results aren’t certain yet. If you can’t eat cherries, you might drink cherry extract or drink tart cherry juice, which have the same effect.^{[5]
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- Don’t drink sweetened cherry juice, however. Added sugar can increase your uric acid levels, reducing the benefits of the cherry juice.
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Build your meals around fresh produce, beans, and whole grains. Complex carbohydrates are the best foods for helping you reduce your uric acid because they’re low in purine. Plus, they’re full of antioxidants that reduce inflammation in your body.^{[6]
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- At meals, fill most of your plate with vegetables, as well as a small serving of whole grains.
- Choose brightly colored fruits and vegetables, which are full of nutrients.
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Consume high fiber foods to absorb the uric acid. Dietary fiber can help your body flush out uric acid. Fiber keeps your digestive system moving, which helps your body naturally flush out waste. Fortunately, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are all high in fiber!^{[7]
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- Aim to eat 21-25 grams of fiber daily if you’re a woman, or 30-38 grams of fiber daily if you’re a man.
- Great choices for high fiber foods include fruits with skin, legumes, beans, artichokes, broccoli, green peas, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, carrots, sweet corn, and whole grain products.^{[8]
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Consume a serving of low-fat dairy daily. Eating at least 1 or more servings of dairy every day may help control your uric acid levels. However, avoid high fat dairy, since fat can increase uric acid levels. Great options include low-fat milk and yogurt.^{[9]
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- For example, you might eat yogurt for breakfast or drink a glass of low-fat milk with your lunch.
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Drink at least 8-10 8 fl oz (240 mL) glasses of water daily. Keeping your body hydrated is essential for reducing your uric acid levels. It allows your body to produce enough urine to flush waste from your system. Plus, it helps prevent kidney stones caused by high uric acid levels.^{[10]
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- Drink more water if you are very active.
- You can tell if you’re dehydrated by checking the color of your urine. Your urine should be a pale yellow color. If it’s dark, drink more water.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Avoiding Foods that Increase Uric Acid

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Limit how much red meat and organ meat you consume. Meat contains higher levels of purine, which your body then converts to uric acid. Red meat and organ meat are especially high in purine. Instead, meet your protein needs with lean meats like poultry, low-fat dairy, beans, or lentils.^{[11]
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- Red meats include beef, pork, and lamb.
- Organ meats include kidney, liver, and sweetbreads.
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Switch out high purine seafood for low purine options. All seafood contains purine, but fish are a healthy addition to your diet. Fish oils will help you maintain good health because of their omega-3 fatty acids. Include small 3 to 4 ounces (85 to 113 g) servings of lower purine fish selections in your diet 2 to 3 times per week.^{[12]
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- High purine seafood options to limit include tuna, anchovies, sardines, herring, mussels, codfish, trout, scallops, and haddock.
- Lobster, crab, oysters, and shrimp have moderate levels of purine.^{[13]
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- Lower purine options include other types of fish, such as salmon, mahi mahi, snapper, and tilapia.^{[14]
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3
Cut back on natural and processed sugars. When your body breaks down fructose, it turns to purine, which increases your uric acid levels. Unfortunately, this is true of both natural sugars, such as those found in fruits, as well as processed sugars. Since fruits provide nutrients, you should still incorporate 1 or 2 servings of fruit into your diet. However, avoid processed sugars and fruit juice.^{[15]
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- Don’t eat high fructose corn syrup. It’s the worst sweetener to consume when you’re trying to reduce your uric acid levels.
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Limit how much beer and distilled liquor you drink, if you drink at all. Certain alcohols may increase your uric acid. Beer and distilled liquors both contribute to uric acid levels in your body. Cutting them out can help you lower your uric acid quicker, plus it reduces your risk of a gout flare up.^{[16]
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- Wine does not cause the same effect in your body, so it’s a better option than other alcoholic beverages if you enjoy drinking.
- If you drink, make sure you abstain from alcohol at least 2 days a week. Drinking daily, no matter what you choose, is tied to high uric acid levels.^{[17]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Taking Medication

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Manage pain and discomfort with NSAIDs, if your doctor approves. Over-the-counter NSAIDs help manage pain and inflammation in your body. Since gout involves inflammation, NSAIDs are a great way to manage your symptoms and find relief.^{[18]
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- Examples of NSAIDs include ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, naproxen, Aleve, and aspirin.
- NSAIDs aren’t right for everyone, so ask your doctor before taking them. If you cannot take NSAIDs, your doctor might recommend acetaminophen instead.
- Your doctor might also prescribe medications like corticosteroids or colchicine to treat your gout.
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Ask your doctor about medications that reduce uric acid in your body. Your doctor may prescribe medications that block uric acid production or help your body remove it. Once you begin taking medication, you need to take it regularly to ensure it continues to be effective. In some cases, it may take time for the medicine to bring your uric acid levels down to a normal level. If you have a gout attack while on medication, don’t stop taking the medication.^{[19]
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- Medicines that block uric acid production include allopurinol (Aloprim, Lopurin, Zyloprim) and febuxostat (Uloric). These medicines can cause side effects. Allopurinol may cause rash and low blood counts, while febuxostat can cause rash, nausea, and reduced liver function. Your doctor may want to wait until the last gout attack is over to start these medications.
- Medications that help your kidneys remove uric acid include probenecid (Probalan) and lesinurad (Zurampic). These medications may cause side effects, including rash, stomach pain, and kidney stones.^{[20]
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Take potassium bicarbonate or potassium citrate if they’re prescribed. These medications help with urine alkalization, meaning that they increase the pH of your urine. The goal is to bring the pH up to 6.5-7. Typical doses are usually 40 to 80 mEq/day.^{[21]
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- This can dissolve preexisting pure uric acid stones and prevent the formation of new stones.

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Tips

If you’re overweight or obese, losing weight can help you lower your uric acid levels. Carrying extra weight usually correlates to higher uric acid levels in your body. However, it takes a long time to lose weight healthily, so don’t attempt a crash diet.^{[22]
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Do at least 30 minutes of light exercise every day to help maintain good health. Overtime, this can help reduce the uric acid levels in your body.^{[23]
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Warnings

Don’t cut out entire food groups without talking to your doctor. In some cases, you may need to supplement nutrients you lose when you cut out that food group.

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