Almost 90% of gout victims are men over thirty years old.

But women can also suffer from gout, especially if they take certain medications such as blood pressure drugs. Most women who suffer from gout are 60 years or older.

Gout is a form of arthritis caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood, tissues, and urine. The uric acid can form crystals which collect in joints such as the big toe. In fact, your big toe can become so painful and swollen that even the weight of a bedsheet can be agonizing.

If gout isn't properly controlled, it can cause kidney stones and even more serious kidney disease. Gout is also associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.

You should always consult a doctor for treatment of gout. But some of the drugs used for gout - such as allopurinol, colchicine, indomethacin, and prednisone - can cause serious side effects.

So you may want to discuss with your doctor if an alternative approach might work for you. An approach without the toxic side effects of gout drugs.

One dietary approach is simply to eat cherries. In the 1950s, Dr. Ludwig Blau discovered that he could keep his gout away by eating a minimum of 6 cherries a day. It helped his crippling gout so much that he was actually able to get out of his wheelchair and start walking again.

He discovered his "cherry cure" by accident. One day, he ate a large bowl of cherries and the next day, his foot pain was gone. He found that as long as he ate the cherries every day, his gout was controlled.

Many other people - some of whom have written to Prevention magazine - have also found relief by adding cherries to their diets.

Supposedly, if you already have crippling gout or if you feel a gout attack coming on, you should eat 15 to 30 cherries a day at first to get your gout under control, then 6 to 10 cherries a day after that to keep the gout away.

Red and black cherries - fresh, frozen or canned - have been used successfully to treat gout. Drinking several tablespoons of black cherry juice daily may produce the same effect.

It's best to eat the cherries or drink the cherry juice between meals.

So why do cherries work for some people with gout?

Because gout destroys the collagen that is needed to form connective tissue and cherries stop that destruction. Cherries also neutralize uric acid and have anti-inflammatory properties.

There are other changes you can make to your diet, too.

For example, eating a cup of strawberries may help to control gout.

You should also drink plenty of water to help flush the uric acid out of your body. Six to eight 8-ounce glasses a day is probably best.

Losing excess weight may also reduce uric acid levels, but it must be done gradually and under a doctor's supervision. Severe dieting or fasting can actually make your gout worse.

Many people also try to eliminate foods with high purine levels from their diets. Some of these foods may worsen gout by increasing your level of uric acid.

Some high-purine foods are meats, especially organ meats, gravies, herring, mussels, sardines, fish, and alcohol.

At least one study suggests that high-purine foods such as beans, peas, mushrooms, spinach and cauliflower do not make gout worse. But you should consult your doctor for the latest information and recommendations.

Important Disclaimer: This information is presented for educational purposes only. This isn't medical advice and it's not a substitute for any advice or treatment from your physician. You should always see your doctor before starting any new diet plan for losing weight or controlling gout.

Copyright (c) 2006 Debbie Fontana