Tart cherries have a reputation for easing the pain of gout attacks, but until recently, many physicians dismissed this approach as an old wives’ tale. Now scientists at Boston University have found that people prone to gout were 35 to 75 percent less likely to suffer an attack when they consumed cherries. Cherry extract reduced the risk of an attack by about 45 percent.
When fresh cherries were added to the prescription gout medication allopurinol, there was a 75 percent reduction in the chance of an attack. The researchers point out that it is important to maintain medical treatment for the control of uric acid levels that contribute to this painful condition.
[Arthritis and Rheumatism, online Sept. 28, 2012]
