Papaya in a Gout Diet
Papaya! Yes that green egg shaped exotic fruit that you see at the market, is actually one of my favorite. And for good reason! Papaya is very good for us gout sufferers since it contains “papain” a proteolytic enzyme which is a natural anti-inflammatory, helping keep the body in an alkaline state, and may help prevent the buildup of uric acid in the blood. Basically, papaya helps you digest proteins from meat, poultry, fish and other foods. Papaya’s seeds are edible, although they taste peppery and are somewhat bitter.
Papaya has also been known to help sufferers from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and asthma. Actually, the papain is considered so powerful that it digests a whopping 200 times its own weight in protein! Furthermore, it assists your body’s own enzymes in extracting the maximum nutritional value from the food we eat. Although there haven’t been any studies examining the effects of papaya on gout patients, there are a few studies out there that seem to indicate that papaya benefits patients with rheumatoid arthritis. There have been numerous studies on how vitamin C benefits patients of many types of arthritis like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. So the circumstantial evidence presented here, is that since papaya is rich in vitamin C, it is a beneficial food for the gout sufferer. I mean one single medium papaya provides 224% of your daily needs!
The thing about papain is that it is especially concentrated when papaya is unripe. If any of you take a digestive enzyme dietary supplement, it is always a key ingredient. It has the same function as bromelain, a similar enzyme found in pineapple which is a key ingredient in NutriGout as well. Another key health benefit for gout sufferers is that papaya is also very high in vitamin C. Papaya is also rich in antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, flavonoids; the B vitamins, folate and pantothenic acid. In minerals, it contains potassium, copper, and magnesium and fiber.
In addition, papaya helps protect you against heart disease which is very important for gout sufferers to have a healthy cardiovascular system. Since papaya is high in vitamins A and C, these nutrients help prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. Papaya is also a good source of fiber which lowers cholesterol.It protects us from colon cancer, since it is high in fiber and water content, both of which help to prevent constipation and promote regularity and a healthy digestive tract. Those of you that suffer from both gout and diabetes, studies have shown that type 1 diabetics who consume high-fiber diets have lower blood glucose levels and type 2 diabetics may have improved blood sugar, lipids and insulin levels.
How to Eat Papaya
Papaya is relatively available throughout the entire year. When you buy papayas they may be green, you’ll have to wait a few days before they turn reddish orange and are soft to the touch. That’s when you can cut it open and eat it. Those that have patches of yellow color will take a few more days to ripen.
Another popular recipe that Asians use to treat their gout, is using green tea with papaya, see my post on green tea to get the recipe.
23 replies to "Gout and Papaya"
Excellent article and very helpful replies. I have gout which has lasted for several days. It’s very painful to the touch. I came on this discussion because I was interested in papaya and its affects on gout. I love the natural way of dealing with gout. Thanks,
James
For me, papaya is the best fruit out there. I have 7 to 10 attacks a year since I’m not disciplined with food. However, I had an attack 8 years ago where it took me 6 months to recuperate full from this attack. I got to the point that I had it in both feet for a couple of weeks. I could not stand, I had to crawI everywhere at home. I was miserable! I started a diet after the first two weeks of the attack. I spoke with a doc who practices alternative medicine and told me. This is what your are going to eat but do not take any medication. He told me this is going to be painful, but you are going to get better. So, the diet was to take papaya in the morning, at lunch wild white fish or organic chicken with vegetables, and for dinner papaya. If I felt starving, I had to eat more papaya. It was not easy. my skin color change to yellow orange, but the results were extraordinary. After the diet, it took 5 years without any attack. I lost 24 pounds in two months. No headaches, no pain after playing soccer. It was amazing! Unfortunately, I got back to my bad habits and now I have attacks more often. Now, I’m laying in bed starting the diet again… Embarrassing!!
I recommend PAPAYA if you suffer from gout.
Can I drink raw papaya juice or soup for gout?
Hi Sethu!
Yes! As you can see from the article, papaya is very beneficial in your gout diet, it’s a complex carbohydrate!
Can boiled young papaya water reduce uric acid level if you drink regularly? Or it is simply to cure gout attack? I drink it and my gout cure immediately within 1-2 days, worked much better than colchicine and medrol. But not sure it could reduce uric acid in blood… Please advise. Thx!
Honestly, I don’t know enough about that natural remedy but it’s very popular in Asia. But it does help many. Try it long term and let us know!
Thanks for this informative knowledge. Kindly indicate if it’s healthy to remove seeds and boil pawpaw without seeds making sure skin is part of whats boiling. Kindly elaborate.
Also is it ripe or unripe pawpaw.
Hi Edwin!
This article is not about the fruit pawpaw but rather papaya. Hope that’s clear for you. As for pawpaw, it is high in vitamin C and antioxidants which helps fight inflammation.
Hi,
I am suffering from gout from last 2 to 3 months, I am using whey protein and creatine from the last couple of months, can anyone advise if there are any issues using the same
since I having the uric acid issue.
Hi Vipin!
Yes whey protein and creatine does increase uric acid levels in the blood. Check out my post on the subject–>https://goutandyou.com/gout-and-whey-protein/
Hi Spiro,
I have been taking papain…once a day….it’s sold in pharmacy. Since then I don’t have any gout attack..
Is it safe to take papain table on daily basis?
Hi Alwi!
Yes papain is very good! Papain is a powerful digestive enzyme commonly found and extracted from the papaya fruit (Carica papaya) , it is also referred to as papaya proteinase. The papaya enzyme papain plays a key role in digestive processes involving breaking down tough protein fibers. It’s good to take when eating meat for example.
My uric acid is 7.61. Should I take medicine to lower it down or change the lifestyle of eating food..??
Hi Riaz!
That is a high number and you will need to see your doctor in order to make that decision. Dietary and lifestyle changes should go without saying. Start taking action today.
Is radish helpful to cure gout? I’m a gout suffer from China.
Cure gout? not really but radish is harmless, so keep eating it, try eating more celery sticks! That will help more but none of these vegetables will cure your gout.
Gout and watermelon, is it good for gout suffers?
Watermelon has a very high sugar content so don’t eat too much of it. I know it’s one of the tastiest fruits and one of y favourites, it is mostly water based too which is good for gout. if you choose to eat watermelon in your day, make sure to watch sugar intake you eat the rest of the day as to avoid going overboard. I never heard of anybody complaining that watermelon is a gout trigger. Enjoy some in moderation!
Yes it has the ability to bring down uric acid for 1 point in a month continuous use. Personal experience
Papaya has also been known to help sufferers from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and asthma. Actually, the papain is considered so powerful that it digests a whopping 200 times its own weight in protein!
Looks to be an interesting fruit to try. A quick search shows it readily available here in UK supermarkets. A range of other products including the fruit such as fruit concentrate drink (and shampoo/conditioner !). Thank you for continuing to provide up to date and interesting articles. A good tonic to BREXIT.
Hi Spiro. You say papaya is great for gout sufferers and I wonder if pawpaw is the same as I believe there is a difference although that may not be the case.
Thank you for your website and all the best to you.
Kind regards
Graham
Thanks Graham!