Is gout hereditary &/or can it be transmitted? can u prevent it?

my mom's side of the family has alot of males w/ gout. my dad doesn't and his family has barely either. i dont have it now but what are the chances i can get it and what can i do now to prevent it?

The tendency toward gout can be passed down but you can help prevent it by watching what you eat. Gout is a build-up of uric acid in a joint. When the uric acid builds up, white blood cells rush to that area...which causes the redness and inflammation...and phagocytes(a type of white blood cell) When they do this they release chemicals which cause more inflammation and pain.

If you want to avoid Gout you should avoid foods that contain uric acid....like salami, organ meats, etc. I'm sure you can find a list on the internet of what foods contain uric acid. If by any chance you do get gout there is a preventive medicine called probenecid which helps your body excrete the uric acid. I don't know if your Dr. would prescribe it if you haven't had an attack of gout. If you do get an attack see your dr. or go to the ER right away because there's a different medicine called colchicine which prevents those white blood cells from causing so much inflammation which will reduce the pain.

The best thing you can do though is avoid any foods with uric acid.

I'm not aware of their being a hereditary factor. Nutrition can make a big difference though to heal it and prevent it. It happens when there is too much uirc acid in the blood, urine or tissue. It is primarily suffered by overweight males. (What are your relatives like?). One of the best ways that I know to heal the body is to restore deficiency of glutathione. This is caused primarily because most of our protein sources are cooked. Cooking destroys nutrients and when it comes to things like essential amino acids, then the body eventually starts to break down. Bio-available whey protein isolate is an excellent way to restore that balance.

It is hereditary. 75% of people with gout can trace it back to a genetic link. If it is hereditary in your case, you can not completely prevent it as far as I know. At least no studies I know of have determined that with certainty. Diet can help to prevent it in other cases... and it can not be transmitted to a person (caught).