Can people with gout eat fried chicken legs?
Disease description:
My father has always liked eating fried foods in the past. After being diagnosed with gout previously, he stopped eating them. I would like to ask, is it okay for someone with gout to eat fried chicken legs?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Yang Ziqi
Gout patients are not advised to eat fried chicken legs. The main reasons are as follows:
1. **High purine content**: Chicken legs used in fried chicken legs are considered moderate-purine foods, containing approximately 140 to 150 mg of purines per 100 grams. Gout is caused by hyperuricemia, where urate crystals deposit around the joints, leading to crystal-induced arthritis. Therefore, gout patients need to limit their intake of purines, especially during acute flare-ups, when a strict low-purine diet should be followed.
2. **High fat content**: The cooking method of fried chicken legs results in a high fat content. Patients with gout often have concurrent metabolic abnormalities such as dyslipidemia, impaired glucose metabolism, and obesity. Consumption of high-fat, high-calorie foods can further increase body fat, which is detrimental to the health of gout patients.
3. **Unfavorable for disease control**: Fried chicken legs not only increase fat and calorie intake in gout patients but may also interfere with uric acid metabolism, thereby worsening the condition.
