The Surprising New Science of Uric Acid--The Key to Losing Weight, Controlling Blood Sugar, and Achieving Extraordinary Health
Drop Acid by David Perlmutter is a comprehensive guide on how to optimize brain health and function using a combination of diet, supplements, and lifestyle changes. It presents evidence-based strategies for improving cognitive performance, enhancing mood, and preventing or reversing neurological disorders.
Key takeaway: High uric acid levels are linked to many of today’s leading causes of premature death.
What do Leonardo da Vinci, Queen Anne of Britain, and Henry VIII all have in common? Many things, probably. But for now there’s only one commonality that concerns us – gout. That’s right, they all had gout, a form of arthritis that induces throbbing joints and excruciating inflammation, and is otherwise known as “that thing that causes your big toe to swell up and become super painful.”
Gout is often regarded as a malady of the past, like rickets or consumption. And that’s not totally inaccurate: it used to be more common. But that doesn’t mean gout isn’t still with us.
Over the last century, cases of gout have continued to rise. Between the 1960s and 1990s in the United States, the number of patients with gout doubled. Today, almost 10 million people in the US have gout.
Just like kidney stones, the main marker of those with gout is chronically elevated uric-acid levels. Here’s the rub: until very recently, these two ailments were the only reason most doctors paid attention to their patients’ UA levels. The reference range – often under 7 milligrams per deciliter – is mostly derived from UA’s connection to gout. But anything higher than 5.5 is what the author calls a “high normal,” and comes with a host of other dangers. According to a study over an eight-year period by the American College of Rheumatology, high uric-acid levels are to blame for 16 percent of all-cause mortality – that just means death from any cause. And for cardiovascular diseases such as stroke or coronary heart disease? That jumps to 39 percent.
There may be no immediate symptoms. But chronically elevated levels of uric acid can cause major problems. These often play out over a longer period, culminating in all sorts of diseases based on inflammation, from Alzheimer’s to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and other disorders linked to obesity and metabolic syndrome, as well as sexual dysfunction in men.
So what is it exactly that’s causing our uric-acid levels to rise? Remember: uric acid is made in our body. And there are two main sources that cause this process to happen.
The first is fructose. Along with its turbo-charged sibling, high-fructose corn syrup, fructose has become the cheapest ingredient in recent decades. In concentrated form, it’s added to nearly everything, from (as you’d expect) sodas and desserts to (as you might not expect) breads, sauces, and yogurts.
The second is something called purines. They’re a class of chemicals present in nearly all living cells – including the human body. Purines are necessary for healthy physiology, but elevated levels can be harmful. You can find them in many foods, from seafood and meat to beer and some vegetables.
When you ingest purines or fructose, the body naturally breaks them down in the liver, the intestines, and the inner cellular lining of blood vessels. As a result, voilà. Uric acid is born.
It can then trigger fat production. Even for those who are not obese, excessive uric acid can cause fat to build up within the liver.
OK! You’ve made it through the main science part. Time for a celebratory deep breath.
Drop Acid (2022) is an in-depth exploration of uric acid, a substance increasingly linked to many modern health issues, from obesity and diabetes to hypertension and stroke. Uric acid has long been seen as a precursor to gout and kidney stones, but new research suggests that high levels of uric acid can contribute to many other health issues over the long term. With reference to scientific studies and a three-week “LUV” (Lower Uric Values) diet plan complete with recipes, this Blink will prepare you to optimize your health by reducing foods and behaviors that play a part in raising uric-acid levels.
Ich bin begeistert. Ich liebe Bücher aber durch zwei kleine Kinder komme ich einfach nicht zum Lesen. Und ja, viele Bücher haben viel bla bla und die Quintessenz ist eigentlich ein Bruchteil.
Genau dafür ist Blinkist total genial! Es wird auf das Wesentliche reduziert, die Blinks sind gut verständlich, gut zusammengefasst und auch hörbar! Das ist super. 80 Euro für ein ganzes Jahr klingt viel, aber dafür unbegrenzt Zugriff auf 3000 Bücher. Und dieses Wissen und die Zeitersparnis ist unbezahlbar.
Extrem empfehlenswert. Statt sinnlos im Facebook zu scrollen höre ich jetzt täglich zwischen 3-4 "Bücher". Bei manchen wird schnelle klar, dass der Kauf unnötig ist, da schon das wichtigste zusammen gefasst wurde..bei anderen macht es Lust doch das Buch selbständig zu lesen. Wirklich toll
Einer der besten, bequemsten und sinnvollsten Apps die auf ein Handy gehören. Jeden morgen 15-20 Minuten für die eigene Weiterbildung/Entwicklung oder Wissen.
Viele tolle Bücher, auf deren Kernaussagen reduziert- präzise und ansprechend zusammengefasst. Endlich habe ich das Gefühl, Zeit für Bücher zu finden, für die ich sonst keine Zeit habe.
Hol dir mit Blinkist die besten Erkenntnisse aus mehr als 7.000 Sachbüchern und Podcasts. In 15 Minuten lesen oder anhören!
Jetzt kostenlos testen
Blink 3 von 12 - Eine kurze Geschichte der Menschheit
von Yuval Noah Harari
