Ice-cold sodas and fruity drinks may hit the spot on a hot summer day, but could sipping unsweetened tea instead save you from a pain-filled future?  Maybe so. In a recent study, the more of a common soft-drink sweetener called fructose that men consumed, the greater their chances of gout.

Gout is characterized by sharp crystals that form in the foot, leg joints, or the big toe - causing sudden and severe pain. Fructose may be a factor in the disease, because it increases uric acid in the body - and too much uric acid can set off gout.

Go really overboard on soda and the risk of gout may skyrocket as much as 85 percent.  But tea doesn’t appear to affect risk. And coffee may even reduce it! Here’s what else you can do to keep gout out of your future: lay off the surf ’n’ turf.  Keep your weight in check. Cut back on the booze. Still grasping that soda can?  Drinking one or more sodas per day is associated with a higher incidence of heart disease risk factors. So what’s in soda that’s so bad for your heart? Those people who frequent the soda aisle may simply share some unhealthy habits or skip their workouts.

 

“Health Tip of The Day brought to you by Doctors Hospital, keeping you and your family healthy for life.”