Buttermilk and Gout

Buttermilk and Gout Introduction

Many people see buttermilk as a healthy drink. But how will it affect your uric acid and gout?

Here we look at how to deal with the limited information about buttermilk and gout.

Buttermilk and Gout Purpose

I wrote Buttermilk and Gout to help GoutPal Dieters decide if buttermilk might improve their gout foundation diet. But GoutPal Foodies might also find this interesting. In either case, use this information to decide if you want to increase your buttermilk intake. Then discuss your planned changes with health professionals. So that you use buttermilk to help your gout management plan – not hinder it.

Is Buttermilk Good for Gout?

Gout Foodies often ask if buttermilk is good for gout. But they tend to ask that about every food. Which is a poor question. Because our first consideration is to understand how buttermilk fits into a foundation diet that meets national guidelines. So as a GoutPal Dieter, you have determined your own gout foundation diet.

Of course, every GoutPal Dieter chooses their own style of foundation diet. Personally, I prefer Mediterranean style eating plans. So my buttermilk allowance would be part of my daily 2 cup dairy allowance for a 2,000-calorie Mediterranean style eating pattern^[1]. Where feasible, I then refine my choices to reduce acid load according to PRAL food tables. Specifically, I would pick 2% fat buttermilk as the lowest PRAL as a candidate for my gout foundation diet.

You should adopt a similar approach. So first review the food group. Which for buttermilk is dairy. Then consider other factors such as low fat, low salt, acid load, etc. Finally, you have an obvious choice. Or a selection to discuss with your advisers. But what about buttermilk science?

Buttermilk and Gout Science

Unfortunately, I cannot find any studies that report effects of buttermilk on uric acid. However, one study of general health benefits draws conclusions that apply to gout sufferers…
There is solid evidence in support of the high value of buttermilk minor components in disease prevention. Published clinical studies nevertheless remain rare. Larger and longer, successful clinical trials are still needed before the dairy industry can make health claims for buttermilk.^[2]

Let's hope those much-needed clinical trials include uric acid blood tests. So that we might get better understanding of how buttermilk affects uric acid.

Butter and Uric Acid

Like buttermilk, I cannot find any relevant research about butter and uric acid. Although there is evidence that high-fat intake increases uric acid. So gout sufferers should keep fat consumption within dietary guidelines. Then, high-fat consumption should not concern you.

Is Buttermilk Good for Your Gout?

Like many foods, you can see there is little evidence to say if buttermilk should be avoided or relished. So in this situation, you can decide to be cautious and choose an alternative. Or you can experiment yourself to see how buttermilk alters your uric acid levels.

As a GoutPal Dieter, you should be aware of the pros and cons of self-experimenting for uric acid levels. Because on the positive side, you get results that are most relevant to you. But on the negative side, you must commit yourself to severe self-regulation. So if you're disciplined, see how to test buttermilk in my Personal Gout Food Research guide.

If you still have concerns about buttermilk, you should discuss those concerns with your professional health advisers. However, if you want help to prepare for that discussion, please ask in the Gout Forum.

Be aware that you can customize GoutPal pages to add your own facts and concerns. Click any highlight, such as 'buttermilk' to learn more.

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Leave Buttermilk and Gout to browse the Milk for Gout section. Or return to your GoutPal Plan for Gout Dieters.

Buttermilk and Gout References

1. US Department of Health and Human Services, 2019. US Department of Agriculture. 2015–2020 dietary guidelines for Americans. December 2015.
2. Conway, V., Gauthier, S.F. and Pouliot, Y., 2014. Buttermilk: much more than a source of milk phospholipids. Animal Frontiers, 4(2), pp.44-51.

Buttermilk and Gout Footnote

This buttermilk photograph is by Zahidul from the Buttermilk: Nutritional Facts and Benefits page at Milky Day (as at 21 Mar 2021). I've cropped and resized their photograph. So see that archive for the original photograph and its copyright details.