When it comes to summer snacks, crayfish are a must-mention. You can easily find them in restaurants or at food stalls. Summer is the season for eating crayfish. A plate of crayfish can make the whole summer come alive. Many people especially love to have a plate of crayfish along with a bottle of beer, which is incredibly relaxing. However, can you eat crayfish and beer together? Some people say that eating crayfish and beer leads to gout. What's the story behind that?
Can crayfish and beer be eaten together?
In general, it's fine to eat them in small amounts. Crayfish and beer have always been a classic pairing, and people often eat them together without any issues. However, there have been cases of gout from eating crayfish and beer, which is actually caused by eating too much. Consuming them in moderation is safe and won't cause any physical discomfort. Additionally, to prevent gout, you can boil the crayfish first to remove purines and nucleotides.
Dangers of eating crayfish and beer in excess
1. Causes gout
Normally, uric acid is excreted by the kidneys through urine. However, if there is too much purine, more uric acid is produced. If there is an excess of uric acid, or if the body's pathways for excreting it are blocked, uric acid will accumulate in the body. When it reaches a certain concentration, uric acid will crystallize and precipitate. If these crystals occur in the joints, they lead to gout. Crayfish contain a high amount of purine substances, and beer is also high in purines. The human body's metabolism of purines is limited. If consumed in excessive amounts at once, it can easily lead to a rapid increase in blood uric acid levels, resulting in gout.
2. Causes diarrhea and abdominal pain
Crayfish are a high-protein food, and eating too much can加重 the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. In the hot summer, beer is often served cold, and cold drinks can also increase the coldness in the stomach. If these two foods are consumed together in large quantities, it can easily lead to a deficiency and coldness in the spleen and stomach, causing digestive issues such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and indigestion.
tips: This is a dual effect. From the perspective of uric acid, it is related to gout. From the perspective of vasoconstriction and gastrointestinal ischemia, combined with infection, it leads to gastroenteritis or corresponding discomforts in the abdomen.
3. Causes urinary tract stones
Eating crayfish and beer increases blood uric acid levels. If it cannot be excreted from the body in time, it will deposit in the form of sodium salts, forming urinary tract stones. Symptoms include hematuria and episodic pain caused by the stones damaging the urinary tract.
4. Causes hyperuricemia
There are two causes of hyperuricemia: reduced uric acid excretion and excessive uric acid production. Maintaining a long-term habit of eating crayfish and beer will keep blood uric acid at a high concentration, greatly increasing the chances of developing hyperuricemia.
What is a suitable drink to have with crayfish?
When eating crayfish, it's best to drink less alcohol or none at all. If you must drink, the best choice is baijiu (white liquor). From the perspective of food properties, baijiu is a "great heat" food, which can neutralize the cool nature of crayfish, promote gastrointestinal digestion of food. Furthermore, baijiu has a high alcohol content, which can kill parasites in crayfish and prevent parasitic infections.
Tip
Every year after crayfish are widely available from May, there is a high-incidence period for gout, two to three times higher than usual, and the incidence rate among young people has significantly increased. During consultations, young people believe that because they are young, they can tolerate the increase in uric acid caused by crayfish and beer. This needs to be taken seriously!