Gout and Sauna

Gout and Sauna Discussion

Dkr:
Does anyone have experience how sauna could affect uric acid levels. I am from Finland and since almost every house here have Sauna. Should I go to sauna more?

GoutPal:
I do not believe that sauna will harm gout sufferers, and there may be some benefits. However, you must keep replacing the water that you lose through sweat. My research indicates that sauna will increase uric acid through sweating. Avoid alcohol or any other diuretic before, during and immediately after using the sauna ? water, milk, fruit juice (in fact almost any fluid) are all good.

Dkr:
I read the article and it was quite opposite that I was hoping for. I expected that sweat would extract uric acid more. I made this assumption, because nine months every year I live in tropical warmth and three months in Finnish summer that is some what colder. Always when I come back to Finland I get gout attacks, but in tropic I get attacks very rarely.

GoutPal:
Unfortunately, there are many things that can trigger gout attacks ? often a combination of more than one change.

I don’t interpret the sauna research as saying that sauna is a risk on it’s own ? only when it leads to dehydration. It is very hard to realize when dehydration occurs ? you are not aware of the fluid loss, but your body sees it and slows down urine production to compensate. It is very easy to replace this ? you just need to remember to take water into the sauna with you.

Gout and Sauna – Next Steps

See the Gout, Sweating & Sauna reference page.