"For men over forty who are overweight, soda crackers, which can be dry and tasteless, are actually a great way to lower uric acid," suggests Zhu Kaisi, Director of the Endocrinology Department at the 305th Hospital of the People's Liberation Army.
In recent years, people over forty who are overweight in urban areas have become a high-risk group for hyperuricemia. Without any preventive measures, it's easy to trigger gout at the dinner table.
To combat high uric acid, alkaline foods like soda crackers and soda water can have a neutralizing effect. Therefore, men might consider carrying some soda crackers with them, eating some after social gatherings, or drinking a glass of soda water to lower the concentration of uric acid in the blood. It's also important to drink plenty of water and urinate frequently to flush out excess uric acid. At home in the evening, drinking rice porridge with a little baking soda can help lower uric acid while also nourishing the stomach.
Director Zhu reminds that clinically speaking, especially for people with the "three highs" (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high blood lipids), high uric acid not only triggers gout, causing joint swelling and pain, but is also a risk factor for coronary heart disease. If not adjusted in time, it can easily lead to future health problems. Therefore, it is recommended that men over forty add a uric acid test to their health check-ups.
It should be noted that foods high in purines, such as animal organs and seafood, as well as some vegetables like peas, spinach, lentils, and cauliflower, should also be consumed as little as possible.