Thaindian News

London, Nov 11 (IANS) Women who drink two glasses of orange juice a day are twice as likely to get gout, a form of arthritis which affects the joints and is characterised by extreme pain.

Two glasses of orange juice, in fact, had the same levels of risk as two cans of sugary soft drinks, the Boston University study showed.

Even one glass of juice raised their risk by 40 percent.

Gout affects 1.5 percent of Britons, with men four times more likely to suffer from the condition. But the number of female cases has doubled in the last 20 years, reports the Daily Mail.

Experts believe the high fruit sugar (fructose) content of the juice causes uric acid - a waste product in the blood - to affect the joints, causing them to swell, researchers said.

“The results support the importance of reducing fructose intake,” a scientist said.

Gout is often linked to an overindulgent diet, which includes too much alcohol or red meat. It was common among wealthy, portly gentlemen in the Tudor, Georgian and Victorian eras.