Treating Gout with Cherry Juice

"Treating Gout with Cherry Juice"

Over the last 40 years, the burden of gout, painful inflammatory arthritis, has risen considerably, now affecting millions of Americans. 

Gout is now the most common inflammatory arthritis in men and older women. 

In my video “Gout Treatment with a Cherry on Top” I profiled new research suggesting that even as little as a half a cup of cherries a day

may significantly lower the risk of gout attacks.

Fresh cherries aren’t always in the season though, so I listed a few alternatives and frozen appeared second best 

with cherry juice concentrate the runner up.

But does concentrated cherry juice actually help prevent attacks of gout? 

We didn't know until now. 

The first pilot study was a randomized control trial: cherry juice concentrate versus pomegranate juice concentrate as a control 

for the prevention of attacks in gout sufferers who were having as many as four attacks a month.

The cherry group got a tablespoon of cherry juice  concentrate twice a day for four months, and the control group got a tablespoon of pomegranate

juice concentrate twice a day for four months.

The number of gout flares in the cherry group dropped from an average of five down to two, better than the pomegranate group, which

only dropped from about five to four.

In about half of those in the cherry group, who were on prescription anti-inflammatory drugs, were able to stop their medications within

two months after starting the cherry juice, as opposed to none of the patients in the pomegranate juice group.

The second study was a retrospective investigation over the longer term: 24 gout patients went from having about seven attacks a year down to two.

The researchers conclude cherry juice concentrate is efficacious for the prevention of gout flares.

Certainly, large, long-term, randomized control trials are needed to further evaluate the usefulness of cherries and cherry juice

concentrate for gout flare prophylaxis, but in the meanwhile, are cherries now right

for use as a complementary therapy in gout?

This commentator is of the opinion that the current state of evidence remains insufficient to formally recommend cherry fruit or cherry products as a complementary therapeutic remedy for gout.  

Why not? 

Can you guess who this guy is? 

This commentator is also a paid consultant of nine different drug companies, all of which manufacture gout medications.

I understand how the pharmaceutical industry can get nervous  

seeing studies where half of the patients were able to stop taking their gout drugs, given the billions of dollars at stake, but what’s the downside of eating

a half a cup of cherries a day, or if worse comes to worst,

a few spoonfuls of cherry juice?