Is There A Link Between Fish Oil and Gout?

“Oh my aching big toe", seems to be the battle cry these days for many of those who have added that extra serving of sardines, lakes trout, and herring to their diets in order to achieve better cardiovascular health. In fact, in a recent published study consisting of 47,150 men those who consumed the most fatty meat and seafood were 50 percent more likely to be victimized by painful gout that those who shied away from these culinary temptations. So obviously there seems to be some link between our finned ocean and lake faring friends and the painful uric acid driven joint condition known as gout.





Gout itself is thought to be caused by a substance found in many different foods known as purines. But not all high purine foods are created equal. For example beans, cauliflower, spinach, peas, chicken, grains, fruits, and vegetables are high in purines but there is no evidence linking them to gout.





On the other hand fatty meats, rich foods, shellfish, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and alcoholic beverages, including beer are some of the primary culprits.





What does all this have to do with the link between gout and fish oil?





Well I’m glad you asked! If you have a bottle of fish oil handy this would be a good time to read the label to determine what the ingredients are. I suspect once you put on your reading glasses and are able to read the small print you will likely see anchovies and sardines listed as the two main ingredients. There might be a tiny mackerel thrown in just for show but you get the picture.





So with mackerel and sardines both being linked to gout, and these two plentiful fish being the main ingredient in most fish nutritional oil supplements, it doesn’t take a private investigator to connect the dots. Or does it?





Surprisingly, it might. But before you open your browser to do a search for Magnum P.I. you should read the rest of this article.





The tails and fins of the story





If you are consuming fish oil that was extracted through the old grape stomping routine enthusiastically carry out by you and your friends after a long night of partying then there is a good chance that the purines in your fish oil will hit you right where it hurts; in the joint of the big toe. On the other hand if you purchases a high quality fish oil supplement which has undergone molecular purification then you are home free because this process removes the purines along with the mercury, PCBs, and other toxins.





Are molecularly purified fish oils expensive and/or difficult to find?





The molecular purification process has become fairly mainstream these days and the changes are pretty good you can find an excellent product at an affordable price. Nevertheless, when focusing on fish oil and gout it never hurts to be on the safe side by selecting products that use premium quality fish rather than sardines and anchovies. The supplement I have been using in recent months to promote heart and artery health contains tuna and hoki and is sold under the Xtend Life brand. The price is mid range, running about $16, with the product considered best in class by many of those who spend their time studying those kinds of things.





Rob Hawkins is an enthusiastic consumer advocate for natural health and natural living


with over 10 years experience in the field.


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