Gout occurs when blood uric acid levels increase for a long time, leading to the formation of monosodium urate crystals in joints and tissues. These crystals can trigger inflammatory reactions, causing swelling, heat, and severe pain.
Purines in food are one of the sources of uric acid. The body also produces purines and the kidney's ability to excrete urate plays a very important role.
Duck meat along with beef, chicken, pork and ham belong to the group of foods with average purine levels.
This means that duck meat is not in the group that needs absolute abstinence such as animal organs or some foods with very high purine content that affect uric acid.
Chicken and duck meat may be better choices than some other types of poultry such as turkey and goose in terms of purine content.
The most important points are portion size and frequency of use.
If you want to eat duck meat, gout patients should prioritize lean meat and limit duck skin. Duck skin is not the main problem with purines but contains more fat and energy.
Roasted duck with lots of skin, fried duck, or greasy dishes are not ideal choices. Boiled, steamed, or cooked duck with vegetables, with a moderate portion, will be more suitable for a balanced diet.
A note that is often overlooked is the processing method. When cooking meat, a part of the dissolved compounds can go into the broth. Therefore, patients should not eat too much concentrated meat broth or rich broth dishes.
If eating duck, it can be combined with green vegetables, whole grains and plant foods.
In summary, gout patients can still eat duck meat in appropriate quantities, prioritizing lean meat, limiting skin and processing it by boiling or steaming instead of frying or roasting with a lot of fat.
More importantly, it is necessary to control the total amount of purines in the diet, avoid alcohol and sugary drinks, maintain a reasonable weight and adhere to treatment.
