Diabetes is literally a sweet lover. It is supposed to be, since diabetes is the condition of having an overwhelming blood sugar level. Here is a sweet and deadly fact: diabetes is in a relationship with gout! Here is another romantic but pain-inducing fact: this relationship will last FOREVER.
This article aims to explain the relationship between diabetes and gout. Did gout cause diabetes? Or was it diabetes that caused gout?
Diabetes and Gout – The CONTROVERSIAL Relationship
Google it. It is all over the net. Many gout sufferers suffer from diabetes as well. It is not surprising since they share similar risk factors such as obesity, hypertension and various cardiovascular diseases. Actually, they are like different cards stacked on a deck. Drawing them all is just a matter of order and bad luck. Sadly, if you begin drawing from this deck, you will pull cards from it until it is empty as long as your life span allows.
Now, back to the diabetes and gout relationship. Who flirted first? Did gout woo diabetes or was it diabetes that seduced gout? Plot twist: there was a match maker.
Acid. . the MATCHMAKER!
It is not that wrathful protruding node in your joint that attracted the attention of diabetes, nor it is the literal sweetness in your blood that caught the eye off gout. Gout will not cause diabetes, and diabetes will not directly cause gout.
As mentioned earlier, they have several risk factors in common. They have one particularly strong common risk factor: uric acid! Not just uric acid. It is acids in general. So how do these culprits wreak havoc and summon the unbearable tandem of gout and diabetes?
Most likely, you know that gout is usually a result of hyperuricemia, the condition of having too much uric acid in the body. Here is a little background for those who do not know:
Gout is caused by uric acid crystallization in the joints. The uric acid crystal is detected by the body as a foreign substance hence mounting an assault against the unsuspecting crystal. When your immune system launches the attack, it will send signals for reinforcements, namely PAIN. This explains both the pain and inflammation in a gout attack.
Mysteriously, the synovial joints are not meant to be a storage space for uric acid, the vicious acid ends up getting stuck in those poor joints. Why? The answer lies in the cellular level. Let us zoom millions of times to the microscopic world of the cells to find out how:
Normally, the liver can flush all the uric acid out. Unfortunately, if your liver is weak, or if you are suffering from uric acid inducing diseases such as Lesch-Nyhann Syndrome, uric acid will accumulate over time eventually leading to hyperuricemia.
If not flushed out, uric acid will cause the pH of your blood to be acidic, which will be very bad for you in general. Hence, the body temporarily find ways to “hide” the uric acid, leading them to the interstitial fluids. Interstitial fluids surround the cells in the tissue spaces. You can think of it as the living environment of your cells. As time passes, even your precious interstitial space will reek of uric acid. With no more place to go, uric acid ends up in the joints and crystallizes over time because of its low solubility in the synovial fluids.
The tragic story of gout seems to have no connection to diabetes right? Wrong.
The presence of too much uric acid can cause your cells to wither away. This is because of the presence of too much acids in your body means the presence of too much corrosive free radicals! Slowly but surely, the overall health of your cells will be chipped away. For instance, the insulin receptors of your cells may be damaged. If an individual cell’s insulin receptor is “corroded”, the cell will not be able to react with insulin, the enzyme that is responsible for making the cell “digest” glucose. Needless to say, this will increase the concentration of glucose in your blood therefore leading to diabetes. Take note that this is diabetes type 2 since it is caused by insulin resistance.
Now, it may seem that it is hyperuricemia that caused both. But, there is another culprit! Acids.
It is not just uric acid that will cause hyperuricemia. It is the presence of existing acids as well. They have the potential to cause any degenerative disease. As mentioned earlier, the more acidic is your blood, the more withering your cells will be. Hence, diabetes can start even in the absence of hyperuricemia.
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