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Supplements for Gout: Tart Cherry, Vitamin C and What Actually Lowers Uric Acid

For gout, no supplement replaces urate-lowering medicine such as allopurinol, which guidelines put first. Eating cherries was tied to 35% fewer attacks in one observational study of 633 people (grade C), yet tart cherry concentrate did not lower uric acid in a trial of 50 people with gout. Vitamin C lowers uric acid slightly (grade B), too little to matter in gout, and a 2020 US guideline advises against adding it.

Published Updated How we grade evidenceEditorial policy

Gout happens when uric acid builds up in the blood and forms sharp crystals in a joint, most often the big toe, causing sudden, severe pain. Keeping uric acid low means fewer attacks, and medicines do that well. Here is what the evidence shows for tart cherry, vitamin C, milk protein, fish oil, coffee, quercetin, turmeric and probiotics, and what to avoid.

The short version

  • Urate-lowering medicine, led by allopurinol, comes first for people with frequent attacks, aiming for uric acid below 6 mg/dL. Grade A (FitzGerald 2020).
  • Cherries were tied to fewer gout attacks in one observational study, but tart cherry concentrate did not lower uric acid in a trial in people with gout. Grade C (Zhang 2012; Stamp 2020).
  • Vitamin C lowers uric acid a little in pooled trials of people without gout, including the trials that gave it on its own; in people with gout the drop was too small to matter. Grade B (Juraschek 2011; Stamp 2013).
  • Cutting alcohol, sugary drinks and high-purine foods is advised, though the evidence is low certainty. Grade C (FitzGerald 2020; Jamnik 2016).

What lowers uric acid most?

Medicine. Grade A. The 2020 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guideline strongly recommends urate-lowering treatment for people with frequent attacks, tophi (lumps of crystals under the skin) or joint damage on X-ray, with allopurinol as the first choice and a target uric acid below 6 mg/dL. It also recommends an anti-inflammatory medicine for 3 to 6 months when starting, because attacks can flare at first (FitzGerald 2020). Doses are your prescriber's call; this guide gives none.

The same guideline's lifestyle advice is weaker: it conditionally recommends limiting alcohol, purines (found in red meat, organ meats and some seafood) and high-fructose corn syrup, and losing weight if you are overweight. On cherries and dairy protein, it found the evidence too uncertain to recommend either (FitzGerald 2020). A 2025 review of 27 diet and supplement trials in gout found the results mixed and often contradictory (Pardali 2025).

Does tart cherry help gout?

Grade C. The best signal comes from eating cherries, in an observational study, and the trials since have been mostly disappointing. In a study of 633 people with gout who reported what they ate before each attack, eating cherries over 2 days was tied to 35% fewer attacks, and cherry extract to a similar drop (Zhang 2012). That design cannot rule out other differences between cherry days and other days.

When 50 people with gout took tart cherry concentrate at four different amounts or a placebo twice a day for 28 days, uric acid did not change at any amount, and neither did the number of attacks (Stamp 2020). Pooling 4 trials (392 people, not all of them with gout) against a placebo or usual diet, a 2026 analysis found a modest drop in uric acid, with results that varied widely (Zhang 2026). Our database grades tart cherry juice D for gout symptoms from the one 28-day trial; we give C because a controlled trial and a large observational study both count by our rubric. See our tart cherry juice and cherry extract pages.

Does vitamin C help gout?

Grade B that it lowers uric acid slightly, and it did not lower it enough to matter in gout. Pooling 13 trials (556 people, median 500 mg a day for about a month), vitamin C brought uric acid down by an average of 0.35 mg/dL, and the trials differed widely (Juraschek 2011). None of those trials enrolled people with gout, and that 0.35 figure is not vitamin C alone: 4 of the trials added vitamin E or a mix of antioxidants, and in 2 more the comparison group took vitamin E instead of a dummy pill. Counting only the 9 comparisons that gave vitamin C on its own (2 of them against vitamin E), uric acid fell 0.54 mg/dL, which is why the grade stays at B (Juraschek 2011). In 40 people with gout, 500 mg a day for 8 weeks lowered uric acid by 0.23 mg/dL, against 1.9 mg/dL for starting or raising allopurinol (Stamp 2013). Cochrane found no high-quality evidence for or against vitamin C in chronic gout (Andrés 2021), and the ACR guideline conditionally recommends against adding it (FitzGerald 2020).

Prevention is a different question. Among 46,994 men tracked over 20 years, men taking 1,000 to 1,499 mg of vitamin C supplements a day developed gout about a third less often than those taking none (Choi 2009), an observational link, not proof. In men, a total vitamin C intake of at least 1,000 mg daily was tied to more kidney stones (Ferraro 2016). Upper limit for adults: 2,000 mg of vitamin C a day, because more can cause diarrhea and stomach upset; take more only with blood tests or your clinician's advice (NIH ODS; check your stack). See our vitamin C page.

Does milk protein help gout?

Grade C, from one trial. A double-blind trial gave 120 people with repeated attacks one of three powders for 3 months; skim milk powder enriched with two milk fractions cut attacks more than plain lactose powder, and eased pain more (Dalbeth 2012). Cochrane judged the differences in that trial not clinically significant, from low-quality evidence (Andrés 2021). We found no second trial.

Does fish oil help gout?

Grade C for no effect on uric acid. In a 6-month pilot trial, 40 people with gout took 6.2 g of fish oil a day or nothing; uric acid, weight and body mass index did not change differently between groups (Stamp 2022). People with higher omega-3 levels in their blood had fewer attacks, but that link was not a randomized comparison. If you take a blood thinner, see can I take fish oil with Eliquis? and our fish oil page.

Does coffee help gout?

Grade C, from observational studies only. Across 11 studies, people who drank the most coffee had less than half the risk of developing gout of those who drank the least, though coffee was not linked to lower uric acid (Zhang 2016). In 45,869 men followed for 12 years, those drinking 6 or more cups a day had the lowest risk (Choi 2007). Nobody has tested coffee in a trial for gout, so it is no reason to start drinking more.

What about quercetin, turmeric and probiotics?

  • Quercetin: grade C. In a double-blind crossover trial of 22 healthy men with high-normal uric acid, 500 mg a day for 4 weeks lowered uric acid by a small amount (Shi 2016). No trial has tested it in people with gout. See our quercetin page.
  • Turmeric (curcumin): grade C for no effect. In 39 people with high uric acid, curcumin 500 mg twice a day did no better than placebo over 8 weeks (Bupparenoo 2021). See our curcumin page.
  • Probiotics: grade C. A 2025 analysis of 9 small studies (394 people) found lower uric acid overall, but the effect varied widely and was seen mainly in Asian men with a health condition taking single-strain products (Othman 2025). See our probiotics page.

What we'd skip

  • Vitamin C pills as gout treatment. The drop in people with gout was too small to matter, and the ACR advises against adding it (Stamp 2013; FitzGerald 2020).
  • Celery seed extract. The only evidence we found is in mice and rats (Li 2019).
  • Turmeric for uric acid. No better than placebo in its trial (Bupparenoo 2021).
  • Sugary drinks, including large amounts of fruit juice. People eating the most fructose had about 60% more gout in two large cohorts (Jamnik 2016). Tart cherry juice adds sugar too.
  • Any supplement in place of urate-lowering medicine that has been prescribed (FitzGerald 2020).

Safety and interactions

  • Don't stop allopurinol or another urate-lowering medicine during an attack or on your own; ask the prescriber or pharmacist.
  • Vitamin C: intakes of at least 1,000 mg daily were tied to kidney stones in men (Ferraro 2016). Upper limit for adults: 2,000 mg a day, because more can cause diarrhea and stomach upset (NIH ODS).
  • Fish oil and turmeric with blood thinners: see can I take fish oil with Eliquis? and can I take turmeric with Eliquis?.
  • Several supplements at once: check your stack against the upper limits.
  • No studies have tested tart cherry products for interactions with gout medicines. Pregnant or breastfeeding: ask a clinician.

When to see a doctor

  • A first attack of a hot, swollen, painful joint. It needs a diagnosis; gout and joint infection can look alike.
  • A hot, swollen joint with fever or chills, or feeling unwell: get seen the same day, because a joint infection is an emergency.
  • Two or more attacks a year, lumps under the skin, or kidney stones. These are reasons to discuss urate-lowering treatment (FitzGerald 2020).
  • Attacks that began after a new prescription, for example a diuretic (water pill): ask your prescriber before changing anything.

FAQ

Does tart cherry juice help gout? Possibly a little. Eating cherries was tied to 35% fewer attacks in one observational study, but tart cherry concentrate did not lower uric acid or attacks in a 28-day trial of 50 people with gout (grade C).

Does vitamin C lower uric acid? Slightly. Pooled trials in people without gout found a drop of 0.35 mg/dL, or 0.54 mg/dL in the trials that gave vitamin C on its own (grade B), but in 40 people with gout the drop was too small to matter, and the 2020 ACR guideline advises against adding vitamin C.

What is the best supplement for gout? None replaces urate-lowering medicine such as allopurinol. Cherries have the best supplement-type signal, from an observational study (grade C).

Does coffee help gout? Coffee drinkers developed gout less often in observational studies, but no trial has tested it (grade C).

Does turmeric help gout? Curcumin did no better than placebo at lowering uric acid in a trial of 39 people (grade C).

Sources

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  2. Zhang Y, et al. Cherry consumption and decreased risk of recurrent gout attacks. Arthritis Rheum. 2012. PubMed 23023818 · doi:10.1002/art.34677
  3. Stamp LK, et al. Lack of effect of tart cherry concentrate dose on serum urate in people with gout. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020. PubMed 31891407 · doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kez606
  4. Juraschek SP, et al. Effect of oral vitamin C supplementation on serum uric acid: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2011. PubMed 21671418 · doi:10.1002/acr.20519
  5. Stamp LK, et al. Clinically insignificant effect of supplemental vitamin C on serum urate in patients with gout: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2013. PubMed 23681955 · doi:10.1002/art.37925
  6. Jamnik J, et al. Fructose intake and risk of gout and hyperuricemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. BMJ Open. 2016. PubMed 27697882 · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013191
  7. Pardali EC, et al. Effect of Diet and Dietary Supplements on Gout-Related Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials. Mediterr J Rheumatol. 2025. PubMed 41647273 · doi:10.31138/mjr.010725.era
  8. Zhang Z, et al. Tart cherry intake and serum uric acid: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and evidence from network pharmacology. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2026. PubMed 42242852 · doi:10.6133/apjcn.202606_35(3).0008
  9. Andrés M, et al. Dietary supplements for chronic gout. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021. PubMed 34767649 · doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010156.pub3
  10. Choi HK, et al. Vitamin C intake and the risk of gout in men: a prospective study. Arch Intern Med. 2009. PubMed 19273781 · doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.606
  11. Ferraro PM, et al. Total, Dietary, and Supplemental Vitamin C Intake and Risk of Incident Kidney Stones. Am J Kidney Dis. 2016. PubMed 26463139 · doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2015.09.005
  12. Dalbeth N, et al. Effects of skim milk powder enriched with glycomacropeptide and G600 milk fat extract on frequency of gout flares: a proof-of-concept randomised controlled trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 2012. PubMed 22275296 · doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2011-200156
  13. Stamp LK, et al. Effect of omega-three supplementation on serum urate and gout flares in people with gout; a pilot randomized trial. BMC Rheumatol. 2022. PubMed 35672866 · doi:10.1186/s41927-022-00263-1
  14. Zhang Y, et al. Is coffee consumption associated with a lower risk of hyperuricaemia or gout? A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2016. PubMed 27401353 · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009809
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  16. Shi Y, et al. Quercetin lowers plasma uric acid in pre-hyperuricaemic males: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Br J Nutr. 2016. PubMed 26785820 · doi:10.1017/S0007114515005310
  17. Bupparenoo P, et al. Effect of Curcumin on Serum Urate in Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Diet Suppl. 2021. PubMed 32420786 · doi:10.1080/19390211.2020.1757798
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