Those sweet drinks can help cause gout

Drinks and gout

Women who drink fructose-rich beverages such as sugar-sweetened sodas and orange juice are at increased risk for gout, a new study finds. The incidence of gout - a painful type of inflammatory arthritis - in the United States increased from 16 per 100,000 people in 1977 to 42 per 100,000 in 1996. That rise coincided with a large increase in soda and fructose consumption, the study authors noted. Fructose-rich beverages can cause a buildup of uric acid in the blood, which leads to gout.