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Diet choices can affect gout, a painful form of arthritis. Gout happens when high levels of uric acid cause crystals to form in the blood. The crystals build up in and around a joint.

Uric acid is made when a chemical called purine is broken down. Purine occurs naturally in the body. But it’s also in some foods. Purine from the body or food is broken down into uric acid and leaves the body as urine.

Changing your diet isn’t a cure for gout. But it may lower the risk of new gout attacks and slow damage to the joints.

People with gout who follow a diet to help with gout most often still need medicine to manage pain and to reduce levels of uric acid.