Does Eating Shellfish Contribute To Gout?

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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!

In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

So, no question/request too big or small 😎

❝I have a question about seafood as healthy, doesn’t eating shellfish contribute to gout?❞

It can do! Gout (a kind of inflammatory arthritis characterized by the depositing of uric acid crystals in joints) has many risk factors, and diet is one component, albeit certainly the most talked-about one.

First, you may be wondering: isn’t all arthritis inflammatory? Since arthritis is by definition the inflammation of joints, this is a reasonable question, but when it comes to classifying the kinds, “inflammatory” arthritis is caused by inflammation, while “non-inflammatory” arthritis (a slightly confusing name) merely has inflammation as one of its symptoms (and is caused by physical wear-and-tear). For more information, see:

As for gout specifically, top risk factors include:

  • Increasing age: risk increases with age
  • Being male: women do get gout, but much less often
  • Hypertension: all-cause hypertension is the biggest reasonably controllable factor

There’s not a lot we can do about age (but of course, looking after our general health will tend to slow biological aging, and after all, diseases only care about the state of our body, not what the date on the calendar is).

As for sex, this risk factor is hormones, and specifically has to do with estrogen and testosterone’s very different effects on the immune system (bearing in mind that chronic inflammation is a disorder of the immune system). However, few if any men would take up feminizing hormone therapy just to lower their gout risk!

That leaves hypertension, which happily is something that we can all (barring extreme personal circumstances) do quite a bit about. Here’s a good starting point:

Hypertension: Factors Far More Relevant Than Salt

…and for further pointers:

How To Lower Your Blood Pressure (Cardiologists Explain)

As for diet specifically (and yes, shellfish):

The largest study into this (and thus, one of the top ones cited in a lot of other literature) looked at 47,150 men with no history of gout at the baseline.

So, with the caveat that their findings could have been different for women, they found:

  • Eating meat in general increased gout risk
    • Narrowing down specific meats: beef, pork, and lamb were the worst offenders
  • Eating seafood in general increased gout risk
    • Narrowing down specific seafoods: all seafoods increased gout risk within a similar range
    • As a specific quirk of seafoods: the risk was increased if the man had a BMI under 25
  • Eating dairy in general was not associated with an increased risk of gout
    • Narrowing down specific dairy foods: low-fat dairy products such as yogurt were associated with a decreased risk of gout
  • Eating purine-rich vegetables in general was not associated with an increased risk of gout
    • Narrowing down to specific purine-rich vegetables: no purine-rich vegetable was associated with an increase in the risk of gout

Dairy products were included in the study, as dairy products in general and non-fermented dairy products in particular are often associated with increased inflammation. However, the association was simply not found to exist when it came to gout risk.

Purine-rich vegetables were included in the study, as animal products highest in purines have typically been found to have the worst effect on gout. However, the association was simply not found to exist when it came to plants with purines.

You can read the full study here:

Purine-Rich Foods, Dairy and Protein Intake, and the Risk of Gout in Men

So, the short answer to your question of “doesn’t eating shellfish contribute to the risk of gout” is:

Yes, it can, but occasional consumption probably won’t result in gout unless you have other risk factors going against you.

If you’re a slim male 80-year-old alcoholic smoker with hypertension, then definitely do consider skipping the lobster, but honestly, there may be bigger issues to tackle there.

And similarly, obviously skip it if you have a shellfish allergy, and if you’re vegan or vegetarian or abstain from shellfish for religious reasons, then you can certainly live very healthily without ever having any.

See also: Do We Need Animal Products, To Be Healthy?

For most people most of the time, a moderate consumption of seafood, including shellfish if you so desire, is considered healthy.

As ever, do speak with your own doctor to know for sure, as your individual case may vary.

For reference, this question was surely prompted by the article:

Lobster vs Crab – Which is Healthier?

Take care!

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  • How To Reduce Knee Pain After Sitting

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Sitting is bad for the health, and doubly so if you have arthritis, as a lack of regular movement can cause joints to “seize up”. So, what to do about it if you have to sit for an extended time?

    Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, arthritis specialist, explains:

    Movement remains key

    The trick is to continue periodically moving, notwithstanding that you may need to remain seated. So…

    1. Heel slides
      • Straighten and bend your leg by sliding or lifting your heel.
      • Promotes blood flow and reduces fluid buildup in the knee.
      • Helps lubricate the joint, making standing up easier.
    2. Heel lifts
      • Lift your heels up and down while keeping feet on the ground.
      • This one’s ideal for tight spaces, such as when riding in a car or airplane.
      • Improves blood circulation and can reduce ankle swelling and leg heaviness.

    Do 20–30 repetitions every now and again, to keep your joints moving.

    Note: if you are a wheelchair user whose legs lack the strength and/or motor function to do this, in this case it’s the movement of the leg that counts, not where that movement originated from. So, if you use one hand to lift your leg slightly and the other to push it like a swing, that will also be sufficient to give the joint the periodic movement it needs.

    For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Want to learn more?

    You might also like to read:

    Stand Up For Your Health (Or Don’t) ← our main feature on this also includes more things you can do if you must sit, to make sitting less bad!

    Take care!

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  • Eye Drops: Safety & Alternatives

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Have a question or a request? You can always hit “reply” to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!

    In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝Before important business meetings my father used to use eye drops to add a “sparkle” to his eyes. I think that is a step too far, but what, short of eye drops, can we do to keep our eyes bright throughout the day?❞

    Firstly, we’d indeed not recommend eye drops unless advised to do so by your doctor to treat a specific health condition:

    Those eye drops that “add sparkle” are often based on astringents such as witch hazel. This means that the capillaries in the eye undergo vasoconstriction, becoming much less visible and the eye thus appears much whiter and thus brighter.

    There isn’t a way to do the same thing from the inside, as taking a vasoconstrictor will simply increase your general blood pressure, making the capillaries of your eyes more, rather than less, visible.

    However, what you can do is…

    Take care!

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  • Think you’re good at multi-tasking? Here’s how your brain compensates – and how this changes with age

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    We’re all time-poor, so multi-tasking is seen as a necessity of modern living. We answer work emails while watching TV, make shopping lists in meetings and listen to podcasts when doing the dishes. We attempt to split our attention countless times a day when juggling both mundane and important tasks.

    But doing two things at the same time isn’t always as productive or safe as focusing on one thing at a time.

    The dilemma with multi-tasking is that when tasks become complex or energy-demanding, like driving a car while talking on the phone, our performance often drops on one or both.

    Here’s why – and how our ability to multi-task changes as we age.

    Doing more things, but less effectively

    The issue with multi-tasking at a brain level, is that two tasks performed at the same time often compete for common neural pathways – like two intersecting streams of traffic on a road.

    In particular, the brain’s planning centres in the frontal cortex (and connections to parieto-cerebellar system, among others) are needed for both motor and cognitive tasks. The more tasks rely on the same sensory system, like vision, the greater the interference.

    This is why multi-tasking, such as talking on the phone, while driving can be risky. It takes longer to react to critical events, such as a car braking suddenly, and you have a higher risk of missing critical signals, such as a red light.

    The more involved the phone conversation, the higher the accident risk, even when talking “hands-free”.

    Generally, the more skilled you are on a primary motor task, the better able you are to juggle another task at the same time. Skilled surgeons, for example, can multitask more effectively than residents, which is reassuring in a busy operating suite.

    Highly automated skills and efficient brain processes mean greater flexibility when multi-tasking.

    Adults are better at multi-tasking than kids

    Both brain capacity and experience endow adults with a greater capacity for multi-tasking compared with children.

    You may have noticed that when you start thinking about a problem, you walk more slowly, and sometimes to a standstill if deep in thought. The ability to walk and think at the same time gets better over childhood and adolescence, as do other types of multi-tasking.

    When children do these two things at once, their walking speed and smoothness both wane, particularly when also doing a memory task (like recalling a sequence of numbers), verbal fluency task (like naming animals) or a fine-motor task (like buttoning up a shirt). Alternately, outside the lab, the cognitive task might fall by wayside as the motor goal takes precedence.

    Brain maturation has a lot to do with these age differences. A larger prefrontal cortex helps share cognitive resources between tasks, thereby reducing the costs. This means better capacity to maintain performance at or near single-task levels.

    The white matter tract that connects our two hemispheres (the corpus callosum) also takes a long time to fully mature, placing limits on how well children can walk around and do manual tasks (like texting on a phone) together.

    For a child or adult with motor skill difficulties, or developmental coordination disorder, multi-tastking errors are more common. Simply standing still while solving a visual task (like judging which of two lines is longer) is hard. When walking, it takes much longer to complete a path if it also involves cognitive effort along the way. So you can imagine how difficult walking to school could be.

    What about as we approach older age?

    Older adults are more prone to multi-tasking errors. When walking, for example, adding another task generally means older adults walk much slower and with less fluid movement than younger adults.

    These age differences are even more pronounced when obstacles must be avoided or the path is winding or uneven.

    Older adults tend to enlist more of their prefrontal cortex when walking and, especially, when multi-tasking. This creates more interference when the same brain networks are also enlisted to perform a cognitive task.

    These age differences in performance of multi-tasking might be more “compensatory” than anything else, allowing older adults more time and safety when negotiating events around them.

    Older people can practise and improve

    Testing multi-tasking capabilities can tell clinicians about an older patient’s risk of future falls better than an assessment of walking alone, even for healthy people living in the community.

    Testing can be as simple as asking someone to walk a path while either mentally subtracting by sevens, carrying a cup and saucer, or balancing a ball on a tray.

    Patients can then practise and improve these abilities by, for example, pedalling an exercise bike or walking on a treadmill while composing a poem, making a shopping list, or playing a word game.

    The goal is for patients to be able to divide their attention more efficiently across two tasks and to ignore distractions, improving speed and balance.

    There are times when we do think better when moving

    Let’s not forget that a good walk can help unclutter our mind and promote creative thought. And, some research shows walking can improve our ability to search and respond to visual events in the environment.

    But often, it’s better to focus on one thing at a time

    We often overlook the emotional and energy costs of multi-tasking when time-pressured. In many areas of life – home, work and school – we think it will save us time and energy. But the reality can be different.

    Multi-tasking can sometimes sap our reserves and create stress, raising our cortisol levels, especially when we’re time-pressured. If such performance is sustained over long periods, it can leave you feeling fatigued or just plain empty.

    Deep thinking is energy demanding by itself and so caution is sometimes warranted when acting at the same time – such as being immersed in deep thought while crossing a busy road, descending steep stairs, using power tools, or climbing a ladder.

    So, pick a good time to ask someone a vexed question – perhaps not while they’re cutting vegetables with a sharp knife. Sometimes, it’s better to focus on one thing at a time.The Conversation

    Peter Wilson, Professor of Developmental Psychology, Australian Catholic University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • Keep Cellulite At Bay
  • Meningitis Outbreak

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Don’t Let Your Guard Down

    In the US, meningitis is currently enjoying a 10-year high, with its highest levels of infection since 2014.

    This is a big deal, given the 10–15% fatality rate of meningitis, even with appropriate medical treatment.

    But of course, not everyone gets appropriate medical treatment, especially because symptoms can become life-threatening in a matter of hours.

    Most recent stats gave an 18% fatality rate for the cases with known outcomes in the last year:

    CDC Emergency | Increase in Invasive Serogroup Y Meningococcal Disease in the United States

    The quick facts:

    ❝Meningococcal disease most often presents as meningitis, with symptoms that may include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, photophobia, or altered mental status.

    [It can also present] as meningococcal bloodstream infection, with symptoms that may include fever and chills, fatigue, vomiting, cold hands and feet, severe aches and pains, rapid breathing, diarrhea, or, in later stages, a dark purple rash.

    While initial symptoms of meningococcal disease can at first be non-specific, they worsen rapidly, and the disease can become life-threatening within hours. Immediate antibiotic treatment for meningococcal disease is critical.

    Survivors may experience long-term effects such as deafness or amputations of the extremities.❞

    ~ Ibid.

    The good news (but still don’t let your guard down)

    Meningococcal bacteria are, happily, not spread as easily as cold and flu viruses.

    The greatest risks come from:

    • Close and enduring proximity (e.g. living together)
    • Oral, or close-to-oral, contact (e.g. kissing, or coughing nearby)

    Read more:

    CDC | Meningococcal Disease: Causes & How It Spreads

    Is there a vaccine?

    There is, but it’s usually only offered to those most at risk, which is usually:

    • Children
    • Immunocompromised people, especially if HIV+
    • People taking certain medications (e.g. Solaris or Ultomiris)

    Read more:

    CDC | Meningococcal Vaccine Recommendations

    Will taking immune-boosting supplements help?

    Honestly, probably not, but they won’t harm either. The most important thing is: don’t rely on them—too many people pop a vitamin C supplement and then assume they are immune to everything, and it doesn’t work like that.

    On a tangential note, for more general immune health, you might also want to check out:

    Beyond Supplements: The Real Immune-Boosters!

    The short version:

    If you or someone you know experiences the above-mentioned symptoms, even if it does not seem too bad, get thee/them to a doctor, and quickly, because the (very short) clock may be ticking already.

    Better safe than sorry.

    Don’t Forget…

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    Learn to Age Gracefully

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  • How White Is Your Tongue?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!

    In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝So its normal to develop a white sort of coating on the tongue, right? It develops when I eat, and is able to (somewhat) easily be brushed off❞

    If (and only if) there is no soreness and the coverage of the whiteness is not extreme, then, yes, that is normal and fine.

    Your mouth has a microbiome, and it’s supposed to have one (helps keep the conditions in your mouth correct, so that food is broken down and/but your gums and teeth aren’t).

    Read more: The oral microbiome: Role of key organisms and complex networks in oral health and disease

    The whiteness you often see on a healthy tongue is, for the most part, bacteria and dead cells—harmless.

    Cleaning the whiteness off with your brush is fine. You can also scrape off with floss is similar if you prefer. Or a tongue-scraper! Those can be especially good for people for whom brushing the tongue is an unpleasant sensation. Or you can just leave it, if it doesn’t bother you.

    By the way, that microbiome is a reason it can be good to go easy on the mouthwash. Moderate use of mouthwash is usually fine, but you don’t want to wipe out your microbiome then have it taken over by unpleasantries that the mouthwash didn’t kill (unpleasantries like C. albicans).

    There are other mouthwash-related considerations too:

    Toothpastes and mouthwashes: which kinds help, and which kinds harm?

    If you start to get soreness, that probably means the papillae (little villi-like things) are inflamed. If there is soreness, and/or the whiteness is extreme, then it could be a fungal infection (usually C. albicans, also called Thrush), in which case, antifungal medications will be needed, which you can probably get over the counter from your pharmacist.

    Do not try to self-treat with antibiotics.

    Antibiotics will make a fungal infection worse (indeed, antibiotic usage is often the reason for getting fungal growth in the first place) by wiping out the bacteria that normally keep it in check.

    Other risk factors include a sugary diet, smoking, and medications that have “dry mouth” as a side effect.

    Read more: Can oral thrush be prevented?

    If you have any symptoms more exciting than the above, then definitely see a doctor.

    Take care!

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  • I can’t afford olive oil. What else can I use?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    If you buy your olive oil in bulk, you’ve likely been in for a shock in recent weeks. Major supermarkets have been selling olive oil for up to A$65 for a four-litre tin, and up to $26 for a 750 millilitre bottle.

    We’ve been hearing about the health benefits of olive oil for years. And many of us are adding it to salads, or baking and frying with it.

    But during a cost-of-living crisis, these high prices can put olive oil out of reach.

    Let’s take a look at why olive oil is in demand, why it’s so expensive right now, and what to do until prices come down.

    Joyisjoyful/Shutterstock

    Remind me, why is olive oil so good for you?

    Including olive oil in your diet can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and improve heart health through more favourable blood pressure, inflammation and cholesterol levels.

    This is largely because olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols (antioxidants).

    Some researchers have suggested you can get these benefits from consuming up to 20 grams a day. That’s equivalent to about five teaspoons of olive oil.

    Why is olive oil so expensive right now?

    A European heatwave and drought have limited Spanish and Italian producers’ ability to supply olive oil to international markets, including Australia.

    This has been coupled with an unusually cold and short growing season for Australian olive oil suppliers.

    The lower-than-usual production and supply of olive oil, together with heightened demand from shoppers, means prices have gone up.

    Green olives on tree
    We’ve seen unfavourable growing conditions in Europe and Australia. KaMay/Shutterstock

    How can I make my olive oil go further?

    Many households buy olive oil in large quantities because it is cheaper per litre. So, if you have some still in stock, you can make it go further by:

    • storing it correctly – make sure the lid is on tightly and it’s kept in a cool, dark place, such as a pantry or cabinet. If stored this way, olive oil can typically last 12–18 months
    • using a spray – sprays distribute oil more evenly than pourers, using less olive oil overall. You could buy a spray bottle to fill from a large tin, as needed
    • straining or freezing it – if you have leftover olive oil after frying, strain it and reuse it for other fried dishes. You could also freeze this used oil in an airtight container, then thaw and fry with it later, without affecting the oil’s taste and other characteristics. But for dressings, only use fresh oil.

    I’ve run out of olive oil. What else can I use?

    Here are some healthy and cheaper alternatives to olive oil:

    • canola oil is a good alternative for frying. It’s relatively low in saturated fat so is generally considered healthy. Like olive oil, it is high in healthy monounsaturated fats. Cost? Up to $6 for a 750mL bottle (home brand is about half the price)
    • sunflower oil is a great alternative to use on salads or for frying. It has a mild flavour that does not overwhelm other ingredients. Some studies suggest using sunflower oil may help reduce your risk of heart disease by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and raising HDL (good) cholesterol. Cost? Up to $6.50 for a 750mL bottle (again, home brand is about half the price)
    • sesame oil has a nutty flavour. It’s good for Asian dressings, and frying. Light sesame oil is typically used as a neutral cooking oil, while the toasted type is used to flavour sauces. Sesame oil is high in antioxidants and has some anti-inflammatory properties. Sesame oil is generally sold in smaller bottles than canola or sunflower oil. Cost? Up to $5 for a 150mL bottle.
    Rows of vegetable oil bottles
    There are plenty of alternative oils you can use in salads or for frying. narai chal/Shutterstock

    How can I use less oil, generally?

    Using less oil in your cooking could keep your meals healthy. Here are some alternatives and cooking techniques:

    • use alternatives for baking – unless you are making an olive oil cake, if your recipe calls for a large quantity of oil, try using an alternative such as apple sauce, Greek yoghurt or mashed banana
    • use non-stick cookware – using high-quality, non-stick pots and pans reduces the need for oil when cooking, or means you don’t need oil at all
    • steam instead – steam vegetables, fish and poultry to retain nutrients and moisture without adding oil
    • bake or roast – potatoes, vegetables or chicken can be baked or roasted rather than fried. You can still achieve crispy textures without needing excessive oil
    • grill – the natural fats in meat and vegetables can help keep ingredients moist, without using oil
    • use stock – instead of sautéing vegetables in oil, try using vegetable broth or stock to add flavour
    • try vinegar or citrus – use vinegar or citrus juice (such as lemon or lime) to add flavour to salads, marinades and sauces without relying on oil
    • use natural moisture – use the natural moisture in ingredients such as tomatoes, onions and mushrooms to cook dishes without adding extra oil. They release moisture as they cook, helping to prevent sticking.

    Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland and Emily Burch, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Lecturer, Southern Cross University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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