As summer comes, it’s time for fresh vegetables to hit the market. A gout patient asked in the background: Can beans be eaten with gout? If it can be eaten, what are the basis for it?

First we need to clarify two concepts.

First, the concepts of string beans and kidney beans (green beans) are confused in some places. The purine content of these two vegetables is nearly doubled, but in general they belong to the same type of vegetables.

Second, in nutrition, legumes are generally divided into two categories: one is high-protein, high-fat legumes represented by soybeans; the other is legumes based on their carbohydrate content. Characterized by high beans, such as the string beans and kidney beans we're talking about.

The reason why patients with gout and hyperuricemia have questions about whether beans and vegetables can be eaten is, I think, rooted in the traditional perception that beans are high-purine foods. Beans and soy products do contain relatively high purine content, especially unprocessed beans (such as soybeans, black beans, etc.). Excessive intake will increase the load of purine and increase the production of uric acid. The previous view is that it is recommended for gout Patients limit the intake of beans and soy products.

However, recent studies have found that the intake of beans and soy products does not increase blood uric acid and rarely induces acute attacks of gout. This is because certain ingredients in beans and soy products can promote the excretion of uric acid, and this effect is far greater than the effect of increasing blood uric acid caused by their high purine content. The final result is to reduce blood uric acid and cause gout. Protective factors for patients. Therefore, gout patients should be encouraged to consume beans and soy products.

There are also studies that believe that different types of purines in food have different effects on uric acid. Hypoxanthine in food has the strongest effect on increasing blood uric acid, and is the biggest dietary factor in the occurrence of hyperuricemia and gout; while adenine and guanine have no effect on changing blood uric acid levels and uric acid clearance, and will not be significantly affected. Increased risk of gout. More than 50% of the purines contained in most animals and seafood are hypoxanthine, while the purines in beans and soy products are mainly adenine and guanine. It can be seen that foods with low total purine content and mainly containing adenine and guanine are beneficial to patients with hyperuricemia and gout. These foods include beans and soy products.

Let’s come back and talk about the relationship between beans and gout in detail.

Judging from the picture provided by this patient, it should be referring to kidney beans, because kidney beans are relatively long and kidney beans are relatively short. The purine content of green beans is 29.7 mg per 100 grams, and the purine content of green beans is 48 mg per 100 grams. Both are vegetables with low purine content (less than 50 mg per 100 grams) and are alkaline foods, which help to dissolve and excrete uric acid. Therefore, gout patients can safely consume it.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that carob beans are sweet, light and slightly warm in nature and return to the spleen and stomach meridians. It can dissipate dampness without drying it, and strengthen the spleen without being stagnant. It is a commonly used product for spleen deficiency and dampness. It has the effects of harmonizing the internal organs, nourishing the spirit, replenishing qi and strengthening the spleen, relieving heat and reducing dampness, diuresis and reducing swelling. It is especially suitable for people with weak spleen and stomach, and the cause of gout in most patients is mostly related to spleen deficiency. Modern nutrition has also discovered that although legume vegetables are characterized by high carbohydrate content, their protein content is still higher than that of ordinary vegetables, and they are also rich in various vitamins and minerals, so they are known as the "meat among vegetables" .

Normal levels of uric acid have the function of scavenging free radicals, but when the body's uric acid is too high, oxidative stress will occur, increasing the production of free radicals. When the human body produces too many free radicals or removes them too slowly, it will accelerate the aging of the body and induce many diseases. Bean has a strong scavenging effect on hydroxyl free radicals, which may be related to its rich carotene, vitamin E, ascorbic acid, and trace element selenium. Comparative research results show that long carob has a stronger ability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals than short carob. Therefore, patients with gout and hyperuricemia can consciously choose to eat carob.