tjohnson_nb wrote:No, AA cannot cause gout, at least there is no known mechanism.
I wonder just how true this is, bear with me while I try and explain.
The body maintains a very tight control on internal PH and how does it do this? The body uses various nutrients and minerals to "buffer" the acidity and alkalinity and help maintail the desired PH within the body.
What happens when someone consumes food/water that is always acidic or alkaline? It taxes the bodies stores of the various minerals used in buffering and controlling PH. We all know that most people have various deficiencies with magnesium and potassium for example being very common.
If a lifestyle is such that it adds even higher demands on certain nutrients it makes it harder and harder for the body to control systemic PH due to lack of buffering materials. Obviously things like the blood stream will have precedence on minerals for PH control but what happens when there isnt enough buffer to go around? Isnt it possible that less "important" areas of the body will have less priority placed on buffering and balancing of PH?
Isnt AA acedic by nature? Wouldnt it be possible that someone on the cusp of a material buffer shortage could be pushed over the endge and become buffer deficient if someone all of a sudden started large doses of AA?
Gout after all is a build up of uric acid and often people with gout are told to avoid foods that contribute to uric acid BUT also told to consume food items that lower body acidity....or more accurately are high in buffer nutrients needed by the body to help manage and maintain a proper PH? Coincidence?
An oversimplification for sure and while AA my not directly cause gout I dont think its much of a stretch to beleive that consuming AA, which is acidic, can place additional demands on the bodies buffer supply stores and in turn increase the likelyhoood someone may come down with gout.