Tart Cherry Extract instead of Tart Cherry Concentrate?

[petronm20]

My dad has gout issues and recently had levels that placed him in kidney failure but has got the levels back to normal. To my knowledge tart cherry juice and whole cherry's are not good for him since it has a high level of potassium which is hard on the kidneys but the tart cherry juice did help him a lot with the gout but the benefits dont out weight the negative effects of the potassium. I wanted to ask to be sure that typically tart cherry extract does not contain potassium and should be the best of both worlds so to speak. The label does not say it contains potassium and since it's not potassium being extracted it should be alright for him to take even with the kidney issues. Thanks in advance!

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

Hi Petronm,

I did some Googling on Tart cherry extract. What I found out was not much. Most of the nutritional values I COULD find for extract indicated zero for calories, and other values. To me it seemed like a scam because there was no nutritional values AT ALL. So how would that help?

Gout is caused by high levels of uric acid. It is no joke. The way to get relief is to see the doctor first. They can seek out if there is an underlying medical condition that is causing the high uric acid. For example, I have psoriatic arthritis and one of the side results is high uric acid. There are other things that can cause gout.

Then see a dietician for a gout diet. Food with high purines aggravate gout. Learn what those foods are and stay way from them. Big culprit is beer.

I tried the cherry juice concentrate a while ago. The sugar in it was not worth drinking it and it was expensive. In season, I do eat cherries but I off set the potassium by eating other foods with less as part of my diet for the day I eat cherries. Whole and natural is the best way to consume foods. I eat them because I love cherries, not for gout. You have to eat way too many for any affect and that goes with the supplements and juice.

[petronm20 in reply to Bassetmommer]

I appreciate the information, he has had psoriasis his whole life and he never know there was such a thing as psoriatic arthritis which also has never been mentioned by any doctors who saw him about the pain in his which they said was gout, he has made an appointment with the doctor who he sees about Psoriasis to see what he says about the pain. His pain is in his ankle and most say the big toe is where gout causes pain most of the time.

[Hidden]

It appears that you could benefit from going back to square one and do some reading, and understand what you are reading (Caveat Lector). My experience with Black Cherry juice is different from yours: I have had a bout with gout and it is very painful but the remedy was easy. You must know the difference between BLACK CHERRY JUICE FROM CONCENTRATE and BLACK CHERRY JUICE NOT FROM CONCENTRATE. I used the black cherry juice not from concentrate and relief was only hours away. The relief was intended to be only temporary while I got my pH where it should be with sodium bicarbonate tablets that was okayed by my PCP and it took about three days. Since then I have not had any more trouble and don't expect any as I check my pH several times a week now to keep it stable. My PCP has proved very helpful and we go back several years now. That trust takes a while because not every doctor graduates at the top of his/her class and none are elevated to the status of a minor god by graduating. It is your responsibility to be wary of all who make their living from the misfortune of others and to make yourself knowledgeable of the treatment being suggested (Caveat Emptor). Sometimes a doctor may inject a little mystique in his diagnosis to raise his (self) esteem. An example of this is the Latin word "angina" which simply means pain and has nothing to do with the heart as it is sometimes used. "Angina Pectoris" simply means pain in the chest and again, has nothing to so with the heart. Pay attention and remove the mystique. Yes, the Black Cherry juice, NOT from concentrate is a bit pricey but the pain relief was worth it to me. See what your doctor says and remember that he is trained to use pharmaceuticals and may not even be aware of the cherry juice but approach both carefully.

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

You should ask the doctor to do a blood test to determine his uric acid. When I was in CKD mine was high, so could have gout attacks. Nephrologist put me on the drug ALLOPURINAL to help with the high uric acid. Kept my numbers low and I never had an attack of gout.

[petronm20]

I appreciate all the responses but he has all the tests done and everything is confirmed this post was just asking to see if anyone can knows if the extracted elements in tart cherry extract do not hold the potassium which is contained in the whole cherry. Potassium has caused his kidney values to rise in the past as he is monitored and even though the amount of potassium in tart cherry juice concentrate is not super high per 8oz the approximate equivalence of 1000mg of tart cherry extract is around 80oz of juice when referring to the extracted element. If the extracted elements is what holds the potassium then the amount of potassium would have a harsh effect on his kidneys. It's not about the gout in the case it's the possible effect on his kidneys.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

Like I said in my first post, everything I read about EXTRACTED cherry had no nutritional values listed at all. You might as well eat air.

I too use allopurinol and sodium citrate all prescribed. It makes a huge difference.

BTW, high uric acid can lead to kidney stones which is the worse thing. So have a professional medical doctor work with your father and prescribe something that will work.

[seabreezegirl]

** Cherry juice is GOOD for people with kidney disease .

Cherries and berries very good . Blueberries , raspberries , blackberries ...

But I always make sure they are Organic as we do not need pesticides in our kidneys.

Check out DeVita website 13 foods that are good for kidneys.