Food suitable for gout and diabetes

[Keith Taylor]

I’ve just read an interesting summary of 12 foods for diabetes sufferers that sparked some ideas for me. Because my wife has diabetes. So it would be nice to find foods that are good for both of us. Also, I know many gout sufferers also have diabetes.

12 Proven Foods Essential For Every Type 2 Diabetes Diet

I like information from this website because it is always well researched. However, it has 80 references for me to check for gout. So, it will be some time before I complete a full review. Therefore, I will summarize the 12 foods for now:

1. Almonds and other high magnesium foods.

If your magnesium level is low, increasing it might improve blood sugar control.

2. Cocoa.

Cocoa can improve insulin resistance. So, switch up to 85% dark chocolate or higher. (I buy it cos I love the taste!)

3. Coffee.

Drinking coffee is linked with lower risk of diabetes.
We also know that coffee lowers uric acid.

4. Green Coffee.

Actually chlorogenic acid, found in green coffee,
can restrict glucose being absorbed into the bloodstream.

5. Green Tea.

Green tea drinkers are between 18 and 42% less likely to suffer from diabetes. So, I must check and update my green tea and gout reasearch.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV).

I have serious doubts that ACV helps gout sufferers. But, it might improve glucose metabolism for diabetes sufferers.

7. Resistant Starches

I’ve never heard of resistant starch before.
But it can improve insulin sensitivity. Thus lowering blood sugar levels after meals.

8. Yacon Syrup

Yacon syrup may improve insulin resistance.

9. Fenugreek Seeds

Fenugreek seeds increase insulin sensitivity and improve blood sugar control.

10. Cinnamon

Cinnamon slows glucose absorption into the blood stream. Also, it improves insulin effectiveness. Gout sufferers already know about Cinnamon as a Gout Home Remedy.

11. Stevia

Stevia, a sweetner from plants, lowers blood sugar and has other benefits for diabetics. Incidentally, gout sufferers have asked about stevia in the forums. But, I have never found anything other than anecdotal evidence that stevia lowers uric acid.

12. Honey

Honey might be better than ordinary sugar (sucrose). So diabetics might benefit from honey as a sugar replacement. But they should not add sugar to their diet for it’s own sake. Unfortunately for gout sufferers:

honey increased … uric acid by 12%

Al-Waili, Noori S. “Effects of daily consumption of honey solution on hematological indices and blood levels of minerals and enzymes in normal individuals.” Journal of medicinal food 6.2 (2003): 135-140.

Which diabetes foods are good for gout?

Gout Diabetes, and Allopurinol
Finally, I also spotted some relevant gout and diabetes research from earlier this year. So, I’ll be incorporating that in my reviews. But, if you want a quick look now, I’ve added it to Gout and Uric Acid PDFs for GoutPal Members (Allopurinol lowers Heart Disease Risk in Gout with Diabetes).

In my opinion, this is extremely interesting research. Because it links allopurinol with 33% reduction in heart attacks and stroke for people with gout and diabetes.

current allopurinol use was independently associated with a lower risk of incident stroke or MI [heart attack] in patients with gout and diabetes.

Singh, Jasvinder A., et al. “Allopurinol use and the risk of acute cardiovascular events in patients with gout and diabetes.” BMC cardiovascular disorders 17.1 (2017): 76.

[Keith Taylor]

On reviewing my article about honey and gout, I see that I missed the study mentioned above.

Another recent study complicates matters. Because it refers to a controversial component of honey known as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Now this compound is limited to processed or aged honey, not fresh. But it does have the capacity to lower uric acid, as a Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitor.
Shapla, Ummay Mahfuza, Md Solayman, Nadia Alam, Md Ibrahim Khalil, and Siew Hua Gan. “5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) levels in honey and other food products: effects on bees and human health.” Chemistry Central Journal 12, no. 1 (2018): 35.

So there are mixed reports on the benefits or drawbacks of honey for gout. That might be due to different types of honey. Or due to mismatches between its effects on animals and people with different starting levels of uric acid.

Until there are studies of honey for gout sufferers, I guess we will never know.

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