Healthline (Continued from page 9)


only in tropical regions. Sugar’s spread around the world followed trade routes and accelerated markedly after the discovery in the eighteenth century that sugar could also be extracted from beets, which grow well in colder climates. But the most dramatic rise in sugar consumption followed the development of high fructose corn syrup in the 1970s. Increasing fructose consumption is significant because the metabolism of fructose actually produces uric acid. When fructose enters the body, it requires processing before it can be used. This processing requires energy, which is provided by adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that carries energy, and the breakdown of adenos- ine triphosphate produces uric acid. Eating fructose regularly also in- creases the body’s production of specific enzymes required to break the fructose down, so for someone prone to overproducing uric acid, or someone whose kidneys excrete it inefficiently, a diet chronically high in fructose may not only provide the building blocks for uric acid production but also speed its production.


What to Do


Uric acid levels can be high without producing gout, and new research suggesting that there is a relationship between elevated uric acid levels and high blood pressure, type II diabetes, and heart disease makes diet impor- tant in all people with hyperuricemia, not just gout sufferers. Cutting purine-rich foods down in a diet may help many susceptible people remain gout free. There is no data yet on how effective a diet low in fructose is in preventing or controlling gout or hyperuricemia, but such a diet can do no harm. Limiting fructose to whole fruits would dramatically lower total fructose intake for most people. Fructose is the major sugar in fruits, but it is combined with fiber and vital nutrients and is present in much lower quantities than it is in sugar- sweetened beverages, baked goods, and many processed foods. (Even ketchup contains high fructose corn syrup.) When dietary modifications are not enough to keep people gout


60


Departed GL Officers


Past Grand Esquire Richard J. Stropes, of the Pekin, IL, Lodge, died February 27. Member Stropes served as Grand Esquire in 1975–1976. He also served as a member of the GL Lodge Activities Committee in 1979–1980 and as chair- man of the committee from 1980 to 1989. He served as a member of the Grand Lodge Membership Committee from 1990 to 1992, as chairman of the committee from 1992 to 1996, and again as a member of the committee from 1996 to 1999. He served as a member of the Grand Lodge Board of Grand Trustees from 1999 to 2003. He was district deputy for the West Central District of Illinois in 1971–1972 and served as president of the Illinois Elks Associa- tion in 1975–1976.


Past Grand Lodge Committeeman Michael N. Brutzman, of the Towanda, PA, Lodge, died November 13, 2010. Member Brutzman served as a member of


the Grand


Lodge Youth Activities Committee from 1990 to 1993 and as national director of the Elks Soccer Shoot Program from 1999 to 2003. He was district deputy for the North- east District of Pennsylvania in 1985–1986 and served as


president of the Pennsylvania State Elks Association in 1988–1989.


Past District Deputy Wilfred J. Bessette, of the Eureka, CA, Lodge, died January 31, 2010. Member Bessette served as district deputy for the Northwest District of California in 2008–2009.


Past District Deputy Douglas J. Dimbat, of the Fairbanks, AK, Lodge, died February 13. Member Dimbat served as district deputy for the Central District of Alaska in 1991–1992.


Past District Deputy Lee V. Shivers, of the Clayton, NJ, Lodge, died January 27. Member Shivers served as district deputy for the South District of New Jersey in 1998–1999.


Past District Deputy M. Ernest Widner, of the Bellevue, OH, Lodge, died February 23. Member Widner served as district deputy for the North Central District of Ohio in 1959–1960.


free, however, drugs that block uric acid production or increase its elimi- nation are often helpful. Ideally, uric acid levels should be in the range of 3–6 mg/dl.


Henry VIII’s confectionary is a very old clue to a dietary relationship to gout that has only recently attracted scientific scrutiny. Girth and gout are both on the rise, as are the other plagues of modern life—hypertension and diabetes. Blood tests for uric acid are not yet a routine part of a physi- cal exam, but that may soon change. Along with uric acid checks, don’t be surprised if doctors begin encouraging patients to adopt low-fructose diets. ■


M A Y 2 0 1 1


Answers to crossword puzzle on page 58.


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