kidney stone formation - Uric Acid Testing

Uric Acid Testing

Definition

Uric acid tests are tests that are done to measure the levels of uric acid in blood serum or in urine.

Purpose

So in this diet there was moderate restriction of calories and carbohydrate, and control over proportional consumption of carbohydrate, protein and of fats. In the Zone diet the number of calories you get from food should be in the proportions of: from carbohydrates (40%), from protein (30%) and from fat (30%). This is one of the principles at the core of the diet. These proportions, or numbers close to them (getting more or less there is allowed) should be eaten at every meal and snack too. In the study, participants were asked to keep to these proportions at each meal, and they were encouraged to eat 3 to 5 meals and snacks daily, another Zone diet rule.

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Precautions

Blood test

Patients scheduled for a blood test for uric acid should be checked for the following medications: loop diuretics (Diamox, Bumex, Edecrin, or Lasix); ethambutol (Myambutol); vincristine (Oncovin); pyrazinamide (Tebrazid); thiazide diuretics (Naturetin, Hydrex, Diuril, Esidrix, HydroDiuril, Aquatensen, Renese, Diurese); aspirin (low doses); acetaminophen (Tylenol); ascorbic acid (vitamin C preparations); levodopa (Larodopa); or phenacetin. These drugs can affect test results.

Acidic foods that impact the pH of your body are: Beef Lobster Pheasant Ice Cream Processed Cheese Barley Processed Flour

But some studies have found that a low purine gout diet has no effect on uric acid levels. Most likely one reason is because most uric acid in the body is made in the liver from purine molecules of DNA and RNA, and not from the purines in foods and beverages. Another reason may be that the problem for a gout sufferer is not that he/she is producing too much uric acid but that he/she is not excreting enough.

Risks

Risks for the blood test are minimal, but may include slight bleeding from the puncture site, a small bruise or swelling in the area, or fainting or feeling lightheaded.

NB. The contents of this article contain medical information not medical advice. Please always discuss remedies with your doctor or other health care professional before implementing any treatment.

You can find out more about the natural ways to soothe gout symptoms on our web site.

By having a greater understanding of which foods to avoid with gout, you have a better chance of bringing your symptoms under control and preventing further gout flare-ups.

Gout is very painful. In fact, this disease is the most painful of all rheumatism or arthritis forms. Gout attacks mainly start during night time and the first gout attack sign is pain in your big toe. This toes becomes swollen, extremely red and painful. However, it is sometimes difficult for doctors to tell you if you are having a gout attack or it is just a simple bunion case. Besides this joint, other joints can also be attacked by gout. The elbow, wrist or knee are some of the other places at risk of a gout attack.

Certain foods that are high in purine may increase the patient's levels of uric acid. These include kidneys, liver, sweetbreads, sardines, anchovies, and meat extracts.

Refined and simple carbohydrates are found in foods made from refined grains (for example refined flours which are the basis for pasta, breads, cakes, biscuits (cookies) pies, pastries); white rice; and most cereals. And notably from sugars with the exception of fruit sugar,(fructose) and galactose. Simple carbohydrates include corn and other syrups, table sugar and honey; candies (sweets); processed foods with added sugar; and some fruits and vegetables.

Usually gout strikes the big toe joint or one of the other joints in the foot or ankle, although it can rear its ugly head in any joint. The reason that gout occurs most commonly in the foot or ankle is because those joints furthest away from the heart and uric acid crystallizes in lower temperatures.

Abnormally low uric acid levels may indicate that the patient is taking allopurinol or probenecid for treatment of gout; may be pregnant; or suffers from Wilson's disease or Fanconi's syndrome.

The uric acid tests are used to evaluate the blood levels of uric acid for gout and to assess uric acid levels in the urine for kidney stone formation. The urine test is used most often to monitor patients already diagnosed with kidney stones, but it can also be used to detect disorders that affect the body's production of uric acid and to help measure the level of kidney functioning.

Most people when choosing a gout friendly diet will look to cut out or reduce foods high in purine, as metabolizing purine in the body leads to increased levels of uric acid, which is the cause behind gout symptoms. However, high purine foods may not be the only foods to avoid with gout.

Complex carbohydrates are lower on the Glycemic Index (GI) scale than refined carbohydrates because they have a slower effect on blood glucose, and so the response of insulin to blood glucose is slower and more moderate. Insulin is much more responsive to refined and simple carbohydrates.

The Internet Guide: Gout - http://gout.smartadsscrets.com The Internet Guide: Purines - http://gout.smartadssecrets.com/purines

Decreased excretion of uric acid is seen in chronic kidney disease, low thyroid, toxemia of pregnancy, and alcoholism. Patients with gout excrete less than half the uric acid in their blood as other persons. Only 10-15% of the total cases of hyperuricemia, however, are caused by gout.

There isn't space in this article to explain more about the difference between complex and refined carbohydrates. If you're not sure, the subject is easily researched on the Internet. For example, do an Internet search for "Glycemic Index," or "Glycemic Load."

Red meats Shellfish Legumes Offal Mushrooms Yeast extracts Processed meats To tackle raised uric levels in the blood it is wise to restrict your intake of these foods until your gout is under control and uric acid levels have stabilized.

If you wish to learn more about Steve or to request training or nutrition information, please check out his website: http://www.bodybuiltbyvictoria.com

RULES Calories were restricted to 1,600 a day: 40% from carbohydrates, 30% from protein and 30% from mono and poly unsaturated fats.

Acidity is measured using a pH value ranging between 0 - 14, with 0-6 being acidic, 7 is neutral and 8-14 is alkaline. Where gout is concerned it is less about the pH value of the food, rather what that food does to the pH level of the body during and after digestion.

Anyone going on the Zone diet will have their personal daily carbohydrate, protein, and fat requirement. How to discover it is explained in Barry Sears' "Enter the Zone" book. The amount of protein you can eat determines the amounts of carbohydrates and unsaturated fats, in the 4:3:3 proportions, you can eat. Why the 4:3:3 rule is important is also explained in the book. If you know about soccer, you can think of the 4:3:3 rule as the commonly used soccer team formation. Or, another way of putting it, is to say that calories from protein are 0.75 (75%) of calories from carbohydrate and calories from fat are in the same proportion as calories from protein. Getting almost to 4:3:3 is allowed.

This is the first of an article series about this diet. See the bottom of this article for how to read the second article. Natural gout treatment largely involves diet. The most widely touted gout diet for sufferers of "the disease of kings," is the low purine gout diet. The cause of gout theory behind it is that because uric acid is made from purines, and because uric acid is the gout culprit, purine intake from foods and beverages should be restricted.

Some researchers have established a link between body acidity and gout. The more acidic your body is, the higher the possibility of developing gout. Conversely, having a more alkaline system encourages rapid uric acid elimination.

Abnormal results

The critical value for the blood test is a level of uric acid higher than 12 milligrams per deciliter (about 3.4 ounces).

Some Nuts Soybean Soda Cocoa Yeast Hops Table Salt Sugar Fried Food Like anything, it is not a good idea to drastically change your diet overnight. The best way for your body to process the changes is to introduce amendments slowly that your body can get used to the different foods and keep its processing running on maximum.

Description

The uric acid blood test is performed on a sample of the patient's blood, withdrawn from a vein into a vacuum tube. The procedure, which is called a venipuncture, takes about five minutes. The urine test requires the patient to collect all urine voided over a 24-hour period, with the exception of the very first specimen. The patient keeps the specimen container on ice or in the refrigerator during the collection period.

Refined carbohydrate foods were swapped for complex carbohydrate foods. i.e. they ate complex carbohydrates, not refined carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates can be found in foods made from whole grains, (eg. whole grain flours and products made from them), and in many vegetables, low sugar fruits and beans.

Preparation

The uric acid test requires either a blood or urine sample. For the blood sample, the patient should be fasting (nothing to eat or drink) for at least eight hours before the test. The urine test for uric acid requires a 24-hour urine collection. The urine test does not require the patient to fast or cut down on fluids. Some laboratories encourage patients to drink plenty of fluids during the collection period.

Uric acid is formed during the processing and breaking down of purines in the body. This is a natural substance that is produced during cellular building and is also found in a lot of the foods we eat. Purine-rich foods include:

The higher the pH levels of the body (an alkaline state) the easier it is for uric acid to be dissolved in the blood stream and eliminated via the kidneys. The lower the pH i.e. the more acidic the body pH the harder it is to process uric acid.

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Steve Warshaw - Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist With over 15 years expereience developing training and nutrition programs for top level executives from companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, and Symetra Corp, Steve has established himself as a health and wellness expert.

Increased production of uric acid may result from eating foods that are high in purine. Increased uric acid levels due to overproduction may also be caused by gout, by a genetic disorder of purine metabolism, or by metastatic cancer, destruction of red blood cells, leukemia, or cancer chemotherapy.

Urate is the main cause of gout as studies have shown. However, not all people who have high urate levels actually suffer from gout. Even relatives of gout patients can have high urate levels in their blood and still not suffer from gout or have any gout attack in their lives. Diuretics, that are mainly used to treat high pressures of blood or heart problems can increase the levels of urate and thus lead to gout.

To examine whether a diet could affect the markers that show insulin resistance exists, and lower uric acid levels, researchers in South Africa put 13 males, all gout sufferers, on a diet governed by three cardinal rules of the Zone diet, the well-known diet book written in the1990's by Barry Sears PhD.

Gout is a fairly old disease, being around for more than two thousand years. Gout is a disease that affects mostly mean, but women can suffer from gout as well, mostly after menopause. Gout is a very hard rheumatic disease, but out off all this type of diseases, gout probably has the best treatment.

If you wish to learn more about Gout, Purines, or Uric Acid, check out Steve's s The Internet Guides. The Internet Guide: Uric Acid: http://gout.smartadssecrets.com/uric_acid

Uric acid is a waste product that results from the breakdown of purine, a nucleic acid. (Nucleic acids are the building blocks of DNA.) Uric acid is made in the liver and excreted by the kidneys. If the liver produces too much uric acid or the kidneys excrete too little, the patient will have too much uric acid in the blood. This condition is called hyperuricemia. Supersaturated uric acid in the urine (uricosuria) can crystallize to form kidney stones that may block the tubes that lead from the kidneys to the bladder (the ureters).

There was a myth that said that the cause of gout is too much food and drinks. Nowadays, this myth has proven wrong. However, everybody knows that there is a little truth in every myth. This gout myth makes no exception. If you drink a lot, but mainly wine or beer and if you eat more than you should, then gout attacks are more likely to appear. However, this is not the cause of gout. Studies have shown that people who suffer from gout suffer from a chemical process disorder of their bodies. One of the gout causes can be the build up of urate, that can form crystals in your joints. These are very painful. However, this problem is mostly genetic and almost all people who suffer from it inherited gout from their grandparents or parents. Actually, gout is a family problem.

Fats Saturated fats, which are among the fats found in meat fat, dairy products, beef tallow (beef dripping) and lard, were swapped for monounsaturated fats (e.g. olive oil, canola oil) and polyunsaturated fats, (oils such as corn, sunflower and soybean oils). However, in the study, participants took polyunsaturated fats from fish. They were advised to eat fish at least four times a week during the study, even fish that are high purine such as mackerel.

Even if an injury is the most common cause of a gout attack, illness, fatigue or worry can also trigger a gout attack. If you have an operation, this might also bring an attack of gout just a few days later.

Urine test

Patients should be checked for the following medications before the urine test: diuretics, aspirin, pyrazinamide (Tebrazid), phenylbutazone, probenecid (Benemid), and allopurinol (Lopurin). If the patient needs to continue taking these medications, the laboratory should be notified.

As the body becomes more acidic, uric acid elimination slows down dramatically. This is due to the pressure the body comes under trying to process both the uric acid and the acidic foods. The kidneys become strained and are less effective in expelling excess uric acid.

Key Terms

Fanconi's syndrome: A rare disorder caused by vitamin D deficiency or exposure to heavy metals.
Gout: A metabolic disorder characterized by sudden recurring attacks of arthritis caused by deposits of crystals that build up in the joints due to abnormally high uric acid blood levels. In gout, uric acid may be overproduced, underexcreted, or both.
Hyperuricemia: Excessively high levels of uric acid in the blood, often producing gout.
Purine: A white crystalline substance that is one of the building blocks of DNA. Uric acid is produced when purine is broken down in the body.
Uric acid: A compound resulting from the body's breakdown of purine. It is normally present in human urine only in small amounts.
Uricosuria: Increased levels of uric acid in the urine.
Wilson's disease: A rare hereditary disease marked by the buildup of copper in the liver and brain, causing loss of kidney function.

For Your Information

Books

Laboratory Test Handbook, edited by David S. Jacobs. Cleveland, OH: Lexi-Comp Inc., 1996.
Mosby's Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference, edited by Kathleen Deska Pagana and Timothy James Pagana. St. Louis: Mosby-Year Book, Inc., 1998.
Springhouse Corporation. Handbook of Diagnostic Tests, edited by Matthew Cahill. Springhouse, PA: Springhouse Corporation, 1995.

Bio

The laboratory should also be notified if the patient has had recent x-ray tests requiring contrast dyes. These chemicals increase uric acid levels in urine and decrease them in blood.

Urine test

Reference values for 24-hour urinary uric acid vary from laboratory to laboratory but are generally found within the following range: 250-750 mg/24 hours.

Normal results

Blood test

Reference values for blood uric acid vary from laboratory to laboratory but are generally found within the following range: Male: 2.1-8.5 mg/dL; female: 2.0-6.6 mg/dL. Values may be slightly higher in the elderly.

Therefore, a constantly low pH value can cause your body to decrease it's processing of uric acid, leading to hyperuricemia. Hyperuricemia is a medical term for a raised uric acid level in the blood, and can lead to gout. As the levels of uric acid become higher there is nowhere for any more uric acid to go, so it is deposited in crystal form in the spaces and connective tissues between the joints.

You should be aiming to reduce your body's pH level slowly. You can monitor these changes by purchasing a home urine or saliva testing kit. Try to balance your diet to include 70% of foods alkaline in nature and 30% acidic.

Meat and Alcohol They also ate meat, no doubt lean meat since mono and polyunsaturated fats were encouraged. (Meat does contain both these fats, as well as saturated fats). Participants' alcohol consumption was moderate, there were no alcohol rules, and it remained the same as usual.

There is another cause of gout theory, which is that excess uric acid (hyperuricemia) is the result of insulin resistance, the pre type 2 diabetes condition. Insulin resistance in gout has been the subject of many studies. Simply put, insulin resistance is the condition where the cells become more resistant to allowing insulin to deliver glucose (mainly broken down from carbohydrate in foods) to them, for the purpose of energy creation. It's as if the jailer refuses to open the door of the cell. It's one of the causes of excess insulin. Excess insulin has been found in a number of studies to inhibit uric acid excretion as well as causing other problems.

Now please visit the second article: Natural Gout Treatment - The Results Of A Gout Diet That Had A Lot Of Success

John Mepham has spent much time researching gout. His best tip for curing gout naturally? Get to your ideal weight whatever the sacrifices may be. Learn more about this study and about natural gout treatment in detail at www.gout-smashers-guide.com/ It's an e-book with an emphasis on natural gout treatment The Zone diet, and other books by Barry Sears, are available at the Official site of The Zone Diet The books can be found by clicking on the products tab on the home page.

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Uric Acid Testing

Definition

Purpose

Precautions

Blood test

Risks

Abnormal results

Description

Preparation

Urine test

Key Terms

Further Reading

For Your Information

Books

Bio

Urine test

Normal results

Blood test

Learn More about Natural Gout Remedy