ENCORE: A Pandemic of Elevated Uric Acid, Part 1

Dr. David Perlmutter, integrative neurologist and author of "Grain Brain," has a new book: "Drop Acid: The Surprising New Science of Uric Acid—The Key to Losing Weight, Controlling Blood Sugar, and Achieving Extraordinary Health." Dr. Perlmutter highlights the central role that uric acid plays in, not just gout, but a plethora of metabolic and degenerate conditions that afflict modern men and women. He decries the lax guidelines that allow at-risk patients to suffer high uric acid, and argues for more stringent standards, preferring a uric acid of 5.5 or less as optimal. He describes how uric acid was once adaptive in prehistoric times as a measure to offset times of famine; now, with sedentary lifestyles, unlimited food, and vastly increased carbohydrate consumption, there’s a pandemic of elevated uric acid. He dispels the notion that lowering uric acid is just a matter of avoiding animal protein; dietary fructose from soft drinks and processed food and desserts is a far worse culprit. Dr. Perlmutter highlights certain nutrients that lower uric acid: vitamin C, coffee polyphenols, tart cherry concentrate, luteolin, and quercetin. What type of alcohol we consume also has an impact on uric acid, as does excessive salt consumption. Dr. Perlmutter introduces us to a home test that can empower patients to monitor their uric acid.