Purines in foods
Clinical bottom line
Since gout is caused by high levels of uric acid, with crystals forming in the joints, some dietary measures to reduce purine intake would seem sensible.
Uric acid is a metabolic product of purine nucleic acids. Some purines are made in the body, while other purine comes from the food we eat. Reducing the amount of purines eaten would seem sensible, though evidence to demonstrate that would seem to be lacking. Weight reduction in those who are overweight is probably at least, if not more, important.
Foods with different levels of purines are given in Table 1.
Table 1: purine contents of foods
|
High levels of purines best to avoid |
Moderate levels of purines eat occasionally |
Low levels of purines no restriction |
| Liver | Asparagus | Carbonated drinks |
| Kidney | Beef | Coffee |
| Anchovies | Bouillon | Fruits |
| Sardines | Chicken | Breads |
| Herrings | Crab | Grains |
| Mussels | Duck | Macaroni |
| Bacon | Ham | Cheese |
| Scallops | Kidney beans | Eggs |
| Cod | Lentils | Milk products |
| Trout | Lima beans | Sugar |
| Haddock | Mushrooms | Tomatoes |
| Veal | Lobster | Green vegetables |
| Venison | Oysters | |
| Turkey | Pork | |
| Alcohol esp beer | Shrimp | |
| Spinach |