Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPros and ConsHow to TellTomato SubstitutesSummary
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Table of Contents
Pros and Cons
How to Tell
Tomato Substitutes
Summary
People often get confused as to whethertomatoesare bad for you if havegout. Tomatoes have traditionally been considered gout-friendly—rich in nutrients and low in purine—but some research suggests that they can increaseuric acid levelsand trigger gout in some people.
This article weighs the pros and cons of whether tomatoes are bad for gout, including what the current research says.
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Tomatoes and Gout: Pros and Cons
Gout is a form ofarthritisthat causes episodes of pain when high levels of uric acid in the bloodstream start to crystallize and deposit around joints. Certain foods you eat can contribute.
Even so, diet accounts for only around 10% of gout cases.The majority are attributed to genetics and health factors like obesity andinsulin resistancethat impede the excretion of uric acid from the body, causing levels to rise.
Even when diet does trigger a flare-up, the foods that do so in one person may not do so in another.
Tomatoes are low in purine and generally regarded as gout-safe. But, some recent studies suggest that they can, in fact, trigger gout in some people.
But does this mean that you need to cut tomatoes from your diet if you have gout? Or, do the benefits of eating tomatoes outweigh the possible risks?
Here is a look at both sides of the argument:
Pros
Tomatoes are a nutritious food that can provide health benefits to people with gout. Research has shown that eating tomatoes before a meal can lower your body weight, body fat percentage, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, and even the level of uric acid in your blood.
Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin C andlycopene, both of which help reduceinflammation. When consumed as tomato juice, the concentration of vitamin C and lycopene is even greater. Tomatoes are also shown to boostantioxidantlevels and reduce cholesterol.
Since gout is an inflammatory condition, lowering inflammation is generally thought to reduce the risk of gout rather than increase it.
Cons
Many people anecdotally regard tomatoes as a trigger for gout flare-ups. Though the evidence supporting the claim is weak, tomatoes are known to contain two potential triggers for gout, known as glutamate and phenolic acid.
While the amount of glutamate and phenolic acid in tomatoes is extremely small, it is possible that some people with gout may be extra-sensitive to them.
Even so, genetics is thought to play a role given that the participants were either Māori or of a related tribe. According to the researchers, these ancestral groups were up to four times more likely to report food triggers for gout than White people of European descent.
As such, it may be possible that the risk of gout from tomatoes is more exclusive to certain groups than others.
Are Tomatoes Causing My Gout to Flare?
The best way to tell if tomatoes are a trigger for gout is to eliminate all tomato products from your diet for a few weeks to see if your symptoms improve. Keeping a detailed record of what you eat may help pinpoint the cause.
When keeping afood journal, it is important to describe:
See if any patterns emerge that may be connected to your diet. You should also share this record with your healthcare provider.
If you still have problems, turn to gout-friendly vegetables and fruits that are rich in vitamin C and/or lycopene, including:
There is some debate about whether tomatoes are good or bad for gout. On the one hand, tomatoes are a low-purine food typically beneficial to people with gout. They also contain compounds like vitamin C that reduce inflammation. On the other hand, tomatoes contain compounds like glutamate and phenolic acid that are known to trigger gout in some people.
If you believe that tomatoes are causing your gout to flare up, try eliminating them from your diet to see if there is any improvement. Although there is no proof that tomatoes “cause” gout, it doesn’t mean that they can’t. Ask your healthcare provider if you have any questions about how tomatoes may affect your condition.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Flynn, T.J., Cadzow, M., Dalbeth, N. et al.Positive association of tomato consumption with serum urate: support for tomato consumption as an anecdotal trigger of gout flares.BMC Musculoskelet Disord,2015;16,196. doi:10.1186/s12891-015-0661-8Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gout.De Oliveira EP, Burini RC.High plasma uric acid concentration: causes and consequences.Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2012;4:12. doi:10.1186/1758-5996-4-12Major Tanya J, Topless Ruth K, Dalbeth Nicola, Merriman Tony R.Evaluation of the diet wide contribution to serum urate levels: meta-analysis of population based cohortsBMJ. 2018. doi:10.1136/bmj.k3951Vinha AF, Barreira SV, Costa AS, Alves RC, Oliveira MB.Pre-meal tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) intake can have anti-obesity effects in young women?Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2014 Dec;65(8):1019-26. doi:10.3109/09637486.2014.950206.Jacob, Karin & Periago, Maria J & Böhm, Volker & Ros, Gaspar. (2008).Influence of lycopene and vitamin C from tomato juice on biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation.The British Journal of Nutrition. 99. 137-46. doi:10.1017/S0007114507791894.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Flynn, T.J., Cadzow, M., Dalbeth, N. et al.Positive association of tomato consumption with serum urate: support for tomato consumption as an anecdotal trigger of gout flares.BMC Musculoskelet Disord,2015;16,196. doi:10.1186/s12891-015-0661-8Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gout.De Oliveira EP, Burini RC.High plasma uric acid concentration: causes and consequences.Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2012;4:12. doi:10.1186/1758-5996-4-12Major Tanya J, Topless Ruth K, Dalbeth Nicola, Merriman Tony R.Evaluation of the diet wide contribution to serum urate levels: meta-analysis of population based cohortsBMJ. 2018. doi:10.1136/bmj.k3951Vinha AF, Barreira SV, Costa AS, Alves RC, Oliveira MB.Pre-meal tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) intake can have anti-obesity effects in young women?Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2014 Dec;65(8):1019-26. doi:10.3109/09637486.2014.950206.Jacob, Karin & Periago, Maria J & Böhm, Volker & Ros, Gaspar. (2008).Influence of lycopene and vitamin C from tomato juice on biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation.The British Journal of Nutrition. 99. 137-46. doi:10.1017/S0007114507791894.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Flynn, T.J., Cadzow, M., Dalbeth, N. et al.Positive association of tomato consumption with serum urate: support for tomato consumption as an anecdotal trigger of gout flares.BMC Musculoskelet Disord,2015;16,196. doi:10.1186/s12891-015-0661-8Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gout.De Oliveira EP, Burini RC.High plasma uric acid concentration: causes and consequences.Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2012;4:12. doi:10.1186/1758-5996-4-12Major Tanya J, Topless Ruth K, Dalbeth Nicola, Merriman Tony R.Evaluation of the diet wide contribution to serum urate levels: meta-analysis of population based cohortsBMJ. 2018. doi:10.1136/bmj.k3951Vinha AF, Barreira SV, Costa AS, Alves RC, Oliveira MB.Pre-meal tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) intake can have anti-obesity effects in young women?Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2014 Dec;65(8):1019-26. doi:10.3109/09637486.2014.950206.Jacob, Karin & Periago, Maria J & Böhm, Volker & Ros, Gaspar. (2008).Influence of lycopene and vitamin C from tomato juice on biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation.The British Journal of Nutrition. 99. 137-46. doi:10.1017/S0007114507791894.
Flynn, T.J., Cadzow, M., Dalbeth, N. et al.Positive association of tomato consumption with serum urate: support for tomato consumption as an anecdotal trigger of gout flares.BMC Musculoskelet Disord,2015;16,196. doi:10.1186/s12891-015-0661-8
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gout.
De Oliveira EP, Burini RC.High plasma uric acid concentration: causes and consequences.Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2012;4:12. doi:10.1186/1758-5996-4-12
Major Tanya J, Topless Ruth K, Dalbeth Nicola, Merriman Tony R.Evaluation of the diet wide contribution to serum urate levels: meta-analysis of population based cohortsBMJ. 2018. doi:10.1136/bmj.k3951
Vinha AF, Barreira SV, Costa AS, Alves RC, Oliveira MB.Pre-meal tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) intake can have anti-obesity effects in young women?Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2014 Dec;65(8):1019-26. doi:10.3109/09637486.2014.950206.
Jacob, Karin & Periago, Maria J & Böhm, Volker & Ros, Gaspar. (2008).Influence of lycopene and vitamin C from tomato juice on biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation.The British Journal of Nutrition. 99. 137-46. doi:10.1017/S0007114507791894.
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