From the Guidelines
Foods high in purines include meat, seafood, and organ meats.
Details on High-Purine Foods
- Meat and seafood: The 2012 American College of Rheumatology guidelines recommend limiting consumption of purine-rich meat and seafood 1.
- Organ meats: These are also high in purines and should be limited or avoided 1.
- Other high-purine foods: While not explicitly mentioned in the guidelines, other foods high in purines include certain types of fish, such as fatty fish with high content of omega-3 fatty acids 1.
Importance of Dietary Recommendations
- Lack of high-quality evidence: Despite the existence of nutritional recommendations for gout, the evidence supporting these recommendations is generally of low quality 1.
- Need for further research: There is a need for high-quality evidence to support dietary recommendations for gout, particularly in areas such as weight loss and purine intake 1.
- Potential benefits and harms: Dietary changes may have benefits and harms, and it is essential to consider these when making recommendations for gout patients 1.
From the Research
Foods High in Purines
Foods that are high in purines include:
- Animal meats, such as beef liver 2, 3
- Fish meats, such as haddock fillets 2, 3
- Organs, such as liver and fish milt 2, 4
- Yeast, including dried yeast 2, 4
- Certain types of seafood, such as anchovy, cutlassfish (hairtail), and cod milt 4
- Some supplements, such as Euglena and Lactobacillus supplements 4
Purine Content of Specific Foods
The purine content of specific foods can vary widely, with some foods containing very high levels of purines, including:
- Fish milt, which can contain up to 559.8 mg/100g of purines 4
- Dried yeast, which can contain up to 847.1 mg/100g of purines 4
- Anchovy, which can contain up to 385.4 mg/100g of purines 4
- Beef liver, which can contain up to 118-1,034 μmol/100g of purines 3, 5
Importance of Monitoring Purine Intake
Monitoring purine intake is important for individuals with gout and hyperuricemia, as high purine intake can lead to increased serum uric acid levels and exacerbate these conditions 2, 6, 4, 3, 5