Will drinking edamame cause bone deformation? These things are the culprit

There was a news recently: An old man liked to eat edamame and soybeans when drinking, but he didn’t know that beans contain a high level of purine. As a result, his fingers and toes became deformed due to gout.

Title image, source: Lizhi News

Even people who know nothing about gout can probably imagine the pain of deformed joints.

However, is it really that scary to pair edamame with wine?

What is gout?

When you go to the hospital for treatment, you don't have to think too much about which department to choose. If you have a broken bone, go to the orthopedic department, and if you have eye discomfort, go to the ophthalmology department. In contrast, gout is more complicated: it originates from metabolic abnormalities and can affect joints, eyes, skin, and even kidneys.

The so-called "metabolism" is the new coming in and the old going out. Hair, skin, bone tissue, protein, all have a process of replacing the old with the new, and even the most mysterious genetic material is the same.

The difference is that the basic unit of genetic material is nucleotides, which are mainly synthesized by the human body.

This synthesis can be divided into two situations: Under normal circumstances, our body can use basic substances such as carbon dioxide to generate nucleotides step by step; under special circumstances, it can also use free purines to directly synthesize nucleotides.

Composition of nucleotides, source author

What about the purines in food? Usually, they are converted into uric acid and excreted from the body, just like the old purines.

If too much purine is produced or the excretion is reduced, the uric acid content in the blood will increase. For the human body, it is normal to have a level that is neither too high nor too low. Therefore, if the uric acid level is higher than 420μmlo/L (7mg/dl), it is hyperuricemia.

Hyperuricemia may not have any symptoms, but it may also cause gout - uric acid has very poor water solubility, and if the concentration is too high or if it is stimulated by trauma, cold, etc., it may turn into crystals and attach to joints and other parts, especially the first metatarsophalangeal joint.

First metatarsophalangeal joint, source Wikipedia

When the immune system encounters urate crystals, it immediately takes action and causes inflammation , leading to redness of the skin, local swelling, and pain like a knife cut or bite, which is what we often call a "gout attack."

Even if you get through the pain, your joints may slowly become deformed as the amount of urate crystals increases; further, your kidneys may fail due to the stimulation of uric acid crystals.

The course of hyperuricemia, source author

How to control uric acid?

Joint deformity can affect mobility and reduce quality of life, while kidney dysfunction can be life-threatening. Even if it doesn’t reach that stage, high uric acid levels are inextricably linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease.

Therefore, finding ways to control uric acid can not only prevent gout, but also reduce the overall mortality rate.

The prevalence of hyperuricemia in China is 13.3%, or one in eight people.

Among them, male patients are more common, while premenopausal female patients are rare, which may be related to the role of estrogen. After menopause, especially women who reach menopause at an early age, they should also pay attention to controlling uric acid.

So, what factors are related to uric acid?

Hyperuricemia and lifestyle, source:

Based on domestic and foreign research, methods for controlling uric acid can be divided into two categories: For normal people, the key lies in the overall lifestyle, eating less red meat and fructose, eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising appropriately, etc.

For people whose uric acid level is already a little high, in addition to changing their lifestyle, they should also control their purine intake and try not to eat foods with extremely high purine content, such as shellfish, oysters, lobsters, animal offal, and long-cooked broth.

Edamame and wine, which one is the culprit?

With the previous knowledge as a foundation, let’s talk about “edamame with wine”.

Edamame is unripe soybeans, and the purine content of soybeans is not low. 1 kg of soybeans contains 2181.9 mg of purine, which is similar to chicken breast, equivalent to 80% of pork liver and half of duck liver. Therefore, it can be inferred that we should eat less beans.

Purine content of common foods

However, clinical studies have shown the opposite. For example, a recent study by Zhengzhou University recruited nearly 40,000 volunteers and found that for every 10 grams of soybeans consumed, the risk of hyperuricemia in men was reduced by 1%, and for women, the effect was even more significant, reaching 3%.

Why is this so? It may be because soybeans have a complex composition. In addition to purine, they are also rich in dietary fiber, which helps control uric acid .

It is also possible that bean intake is related to lifestyle. People have a limited appetite, so if they eat more beans, they will eat less red meat.

Therefore, some experts recommend replacing animal protein (pork, lamb, beef, etc.) with plant protein (soybeans, miscellaneous beans, soy products, etc.); there are also some authoritative documents that take a "neither recommend nor restrict" attitude towards beans and soy products.

As for alcohol, it is relatively clear. Traditionally, it is believed that beer contains a certain amount of purine (approximately between 38 and 151 mg/L), so patients with hyperuricemia are advised to drink less beer.

Studies in recent years have shown that alcohol can increase the production of uric acid on the one hand and reduce the excretion of uric acid on the other hand ; in addition, as mentioned earlier, injuries and colds are triggers of gout attacks, and drunkenness is one of the common causes of injuries and colds.

Therefore, it is best to quit drinking alcohol completely, or you can follow the doctor's advice; even ordinary people should limit their alcohol intake - according to the latest version of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", the maximum amount of alcohol they can drink is one can of beer or one or two glasses of medium-proof liquor per day.

Conclusion

Gout is very common and the consequences can be serious. Unfortunately, only about one-third to one-half of people are willing to receive uric acid-lowering treatment. Among those who receive treatment, only 20% to 40% can be said to "follow the doctor's orders carefully."

In fact, as long as you understand the relevant knowledge, consider your own situation, and make some changes in diet and exercise, you can enjoy life and prevent diseases at the same time.

References:

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