Uric Acid Does Not Come from Food: Where Does the Misunderstanding Lie?

Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi, may Allah have mercy on him, believes that the common idea linking high uric acid directly to eating meat and legumes is a major confusion of causality. He explains that uric acid is the end product of purine breakdown, and purines are not only derived from food but are an essential part of the structure of DNA and RNA inside every cell in the body. When cells die, regenerate, or are damaged due to inflammation, their nuclei are broken down and uric acid is produced as a natural result of this breakdown. Therefore, high uric acid may be a sign that something inside the body is breaking down or dying at a faster rate than normal, not necessarily a sign that the person ate too much meat or fava beans.

The Athlete After Intense Exercise and the Cancer Patient After Chemotherapy: Two Decisive Examples

Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi, may Allah have mercy on him, gives two clear examples to refute the incorrect idea. The first: an athlete who engages in intense exercise that causes microscopic tears in muscle fibers, leading to the death of some muscle cells and the breakdown of their nuclei, resulting in elevated uric acid even though the athlete ate no meat or legumes at all. The second: a cancer patient after a chemotherapy session, where a large number of cancer cells and healthy cells die together due to the treatment, causing a very sharp rise in uric acid even though the patient’s food intake has not changed. From these two examples, Dr. Diaa concludes that elevated uric acid is a result of cellular breakdown inside the body, not a direct result of dietary purines.

True Gout Is Not Just High Uric Acid

Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi, may Allah have mercy on him, explains that many people are diagnosed with gout simply because their lab test showed high uric acid, and this is inaccurate. True gout occurs when there is local inflammation in the joint, and then uric acid and calcium precipitate on it, forming crystals that cause severe pain. Elevation alone is not enough; there must be inflammation that precedes or accompanies the precipitation. This means that treating gout should not be limited to lowering uric acid with medication; the source of inflammation in the joint or in the body generally must also be understood. The inflammation may be coming from the colon, from abdominal pressure, or from difficult-to-digest food that triggers an immune response.

Uric Acid in the Tayyibat System: A Witness to Inflammation, Not Its Cause

Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi, may Allah have mercy on him, redefines uric acid from being the “cause of disease” to being a “witness to a process inside the body.” If inflammation is present, more cells die, and more uric acid is produced. If there is a malignant tumor multiplying rapidly, many cells die and uric acid multiplies. If there is intense exercise, an accident, a burn, or any cause of accelerated cell death, uric acid rises. Therefore, focusing on avoiding meat and legumes as the only solution is like turning off the alarm light without putting out the fire. The real solution is to search for the inflammation or the cause of accelerated cell death and treat it at its root.

Why Does the Pain Persist Despite Avoiding Meat and Legumes?

Many gout patients adhere to a strict diet avoiding meat, legumes, and fish, yet the pain episodes continue to recur. Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi, may Allah have mercy on him, explains that the reason is that the source of uric acid is internal, not external. If the inflammation is still present in the body due to a digestive problem, silent inflammation in the gums or sinuses, or chronic abdominal pressure, cells will continue to die and break down, and uric acid will continue to rise or remain high. Depriving oneself of meat and legumes in this case does not stop the disease process; it may even cause malnutrition, protein deficiency, and general weakness with little benefit.

When Is Eating Meat Actually a Problem in Cases of Gout?

Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi’s words do not mean that food has no relation to uric acid at all, but he corrects the magnitude of the effect. In the Tayyibat System, meat and legumes are not the primary cause, but they may be a contributing factor in one case: when the body is already suffering from chronic inflammation and accelerated cell death, adding external purines from food may slightly increase the uric acid burden. However, the primary problem remains internal inflammation, not dietary purines. Therefore, Dr. Diaa prefers to focus on removing the causes of inflammation first (such as difficult-to-digest foods, white flour, and immune triggers), and only then may the body regain its ability to handle purines normally.

Root Cause Analysis: Why Do We Treat the Number Instead of Understanding Inflammation?

Uric acid and gout are clear examples of the root cause analysis philosophy in the Tayyibat System. The real cause is not the high number, and it is not eating meat; it is inflammation or accelerated cell death. The cause may be an inflamed colon from accumulated food, abdominal pressure raising general inflammation, a silent infection somewhere in the body, or a medication causing cell death as a side effect. Dr. Diaa explains that treating the number without understanding the source of inflammation is futile, because the body will continue to produce uric acid as long as cells continue to die at an abnormal rate.

A Critique of Uric Acid-Lowering Medications: A Temporary Solution or Prolonged Suffering?

Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi, may Allah have mercy on him, criticizes relying on uric acid-lowering medications such as allopurinol as the only solution, explaining that these medications inhibit the enzyme responsible for producing the acid but do not address the cause of cell death. If inflammation continues, cells will continue to die, and internal purines may convert into other substances that could be more harmful. Dr. Diaa describes this type of treatment as “treating the number,” where the high number disappears from the lab sheet, but the patient may still suffer from pain, fatigue, and inflammation. The optimal solution is to return to understanding the source of inflammation first and removing it as much as possible.

Conclusion

Uric acid in the Tayyibat System is not an enemy coming from a plate of fava beans or meat; it is a natural byproduct of the breakdown of body cells, and its elevation is a witness to the presence of inflammation or accelerated cell death. True gout does not occur simply from high uric acid; it requires inflammation in the joint to precipitate upon. Treating the number alone without understanding the source of inflammation is an incomplete treatment, and it may waste the patient’s time and effort in useless dietary deprivation. Listening to the body and searching for the source of inflammation – whether in digestion, the colon, or elsewhere – is the true path to dealing with uric acid and gout.

Read Also

• What is the Tayyibat System?
• List of Forbidden and Allowed Foods in the Tayyibat System
• Biography of Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi
• Download the Tayyibat System PDF

This article is a simplified and organized summary of the video content, aiming to arrange the ideas and concepts mentioned in it and connect them to their context within the Tayyibat System. You can watch the video on YouTube here.

The post Uric Acid and Gout in the Tayyibat System: Why Meat and Fava Beans Are Not the Real Cause of Your Joint Pain appeared first on Tayyibat System – Dr. Diaa Al-Awadi.