The medical expert Zhu Danxi of the Yuan Dynasty pointed out, “Gout often boils due to the heat in the blood, and then it cools externally. The hot blood becomes cold, and the sweat stagnates, causing pain. At night, the pain is severe, and it occurs in the yang.” “Gout, which is caused by excessive fat and sweetness, dampness blocking the lower part of the skin, and cold and dampness forming stagnation and heat, stays on the skin
Among these discussions, “hot blood”, “sweaty turbidity”, “excessive fat and sweetness”, and “dampness stagnation” aptly illustrate that ancient Chinese medicine had already had a very thorough understanding of the causes of gout. Modern gout research also confirms that the incidence of gout is directly related to the daily diet. The root of gout is high uric acid in the body, and the reason for high uric acid in most people is related to their eating habits. People who like to feast all day long, eat fresh seafood, fish and meat, and live as rich as kings have the highest incidence rate of gout.
元代的医学家朱丹溪指出：“痛风者，大率因血受热，已自沸腾，其后寒凉外搏，热血得寒，汗浊凝滞，所以作痛，夜则痛甚，行于阳也。”“痛风，内由平素肥甘过度，湿壅下焦；寒与湿邪相结郁而化热，停留肌肤。”
这些论述之中，“热血”、“汗浊”、“肥甘过度”、“湿壅”贴切的说明了我国古代中医早已对痛风病的致病原因有了非常到位的认识。现代痛风病学研究也确认，痛风的发病与日常饮食用直接的关系，痛风病的根源在于体内尿酸过高，而大多数人尿酸过高的原因都与饮食习惯有关，终日宴请、喜食生猛海鲜、大鱼大肉，生活富裕如同帝王一般的人群是痛风发病率最高的。
