Ice-cold sodas and fruity drinks may hit the spot on a warm weekend, but could sipping unsweetened tea instead save you from a pain-filled future?

Maybe so. In a study, the more of a common soft-drink sweetener called fructose that men consumed, the greater their chances of gout.

Substance Surplus
Gout is characterized by sharp crystals that form in the foot or leg joints -- the big toe most often -- causing sudden and severe pain. (Find out who's most at risk for gout.) Fructose may be a factor in the disease, because it increases uric acid in the body -- and too much uric acid can set off the gout-provoking process. Go really overboard on soft drinks and the risk of gout may skyrocket -- as much as 85 percent higher in a recent study. But tea doesn’t appear to affect risk. And coffee may even reduce it!

Don’t Let Gout Get You
Here’s what else you can do to keep gout out of your future:

• Lay off the surf ’n’ turf. (Here’s why.)
• Keep your weight in check. (Find out what the odds are that you’ll be overweight in 4 years.)
• Cut back on the booze. (Get the whole scoop on alcohol and your health with this article.)

Still grasping that soda can? Here’s another reason to find an alternative thirst quencher.