Why An MD Loves The Antioxidant Quercetin For Metabolic Health*

First, a bit of refresher on uric acid: When the physique metabolizes fructose and purines (substances which are present in each the physique and meals), it generates uric acid within the blood. And based on Perlmutter, excessive ranges can have an effect on your metabolic well being at massive: Uric acid informs the physique that it’s in a scenario the place it must retailer fats and water. This phenomenon is essential for our species’ survival, however you possibly can see how issues may go awry if it happens too typically.

Perlmutter explains that consuming fructose and sodium may end up in elevated uric acid ranges, however that’s not fairly the top of the story: “There’s an enzyme referred to as xanthine oxidase that permits the formation of uric acid. In the event you can block xanthine oxidase, you possibly can scale back uric acid formation,” he says.

Regardless of the technicality of this bodily course of, there may be one easy factor that you could add to your routines to help this course of: “It seems, you possibly can goal that enzyme with quercetin.” Quercetin, as a reminder, is a robust flavonoid that neutralizes free radicals and is linked to some pretty serious immune support.* And, properly, we will add metabolic well being to its listing of advantages: “One latest examine from England confirmed that 22 younger males with elevated uric acid had an 8% drop of uric acid in just two weeks by taking 500 milligrams of quercetin [per day],”* says Perlmutter.