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Foods High in Purines: Uric Acid Foods to Avoid With Gout

By Fabien Martin · Published October 19, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 · 10 min read

Purines are natural compounds found in the cells of almost every food. When the body breaks them down, it makes uric acid, a waste product normally removed by the kidneys. In gout, too much uric acid builds up and can form crystals in the joints, which is why people with gout often look at purine tables. This article lists the foods highest in purines; its companion covers foods lower in purines.

The values below are measured values from the USDA purine database (2025) and a large laboratory study of common foods (Kaneko et al., 2014).^[1][2] All figures are mg of total purines per 100 g of food, raw unless stated.

How is a food classed as "high in purines"?

There is no official cut-off, so we use the five groups from the Kaneko study as a rough guide.^[2] In the authors' words:

• Very low: "less than 50 mg/100 g"
• Low: "50–100 mg/100 g"
• Moderate: "100–200 mg/100 g"
• High: "200–300 mg/100 g"
• Very high: "more than 300 mg/100 g"

The printed ranges share their boundary values (100 appears in two groups, for example), so a food right on a line could be read either way. These bands were set on Kaneko's own measurements, so we only attach them to Kaneko numbers.

Which foods have the most purines?

Organ meats, fish milt, small oily fish and yeast top the list. The table gathers familiar high-purine foods by group. Where the USDA database measured a food, we use its value; the Kaneko study fills the gaps, mainly for offal and shellfish. Meats measured by both sources are compared further down.

Anchovies are given as a range because the three measurements, 303.9 to 411, don't name the species, and none is a salted European fillet.^[1]

Why do the sources give different numbers? They come from different labs using different methods and samples, and USDA's recent analyses of meat come out about two to three times higher than Kaneko's. So compare foods within the same source, not across sources. The USDA database also gathers older work: rows marked "1976 study" come from one US study, the others from USDA's own 2024 analyses.^[1]

Why do dried foods look so high?

Dried foods are measured per 100 g of dried product, so removing the water concentrates everything left, purines included. Dried lentils measure 222.0 mg per 100 g as bought, while canned beans, drained and rinsed, are around a tenth of that: 23.4 for red kidney beans.^[1] The USDA database has no value for cooked lentils. Fresh shiitake has 20.8 mg per 100 g; dried shiitake has 379.5.^[2]

Some foods are high per 100 g but used in small amounts. The Kaneko authors note that parsley is used only a few grams at a time, and that seaweed is not considered a food that affects serum uric acid.^[2] A high number per 100 g does not tell you how much ends up in a meal.

Is meat high in purines?

Meat sits in the middle of the list: far above bread, well below liver. Several meats and fish were measured by both sources, so the table shows both values side by side. Read it down each column, not across.

The milligrams differ, but both sources tell the same story: cured meats such as ham, salami, bacon and frankfurters are in the same range as fresh meat. In the Kaneko study, cooked ham (74.2) is close to pork loin (90.9) and about a quarter of pork liver (284.8). In the USDA database, deli ham (250.4) is close to pork loin (237.2) and many times white bread (12.2).^[1][2] Within the Kaneko study, liver is around twice muscle meat or more: chicken liver 312.2 against chicken breast 141.2.

What surprised me most when I started checking: chicken breast, which I thought of as the "safe" lean option, measures higher in purines than canned tuna, in both studies (289.0 against 211.8 in the USDA database, 141.2 against 116.9 in the Kaneko study).^[1][2]

For cuts and offal in detail, see purines in meat and offal.

Which foods do gout guidelines say to limit or avoid?

In short, the guidelines name alcohol (especially beer and spirits), sugar-sweetened drinks and large amounts of meat and seafood. The American College of Rheumatology conditionally recommends limiting alcohol, purine intake and high-fructose corn syrup; EULAR advises avoiding alcohol, sugar-sweetened drinks, heavy meals and excessive meat and seafood. Neither tells people to cut out meat or fish entirely.^[6][7]

Studies link higher meat and seafood intake to more gout, and guidelines advise limiting them rather than cutting them out. In a 12-year study of 47,150 US men without gout at the start (730 developed it), men in the top fifth of meat intake had a higher risk than those in the bottom fifth: relative risk 1.41 (95% CI 1.07–1.86). For seafood it was 1.51 (1.17–1.95).^[4] Each extra daily serving of meat was linked to a 21% higher risk, and each extra weekly serving of seafood to a 7% higher risk.

In 633 people who already had gout, a higher total purine intake over the previous two days was linked to higher odds of an attack: odds ratio 4.76 (3.37–6.74) for the highest versus lowest fifth of intake. For purines from animal foods, the figure was 2.41 (1.72–3.36).^[5] These are observational studies: they show associations, not cause and effect.

Guidelines are cautious. The American College of Rheumatology (2020) states "we conditionally recommend limiting purine intake", based on low-certainty evidence, and notes that diet changes likely make only small changes to uric acid levels.^[6] The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR, 2016) advises avoiding "excessive intake of meat and seafood", along with alcohol and sugar-sweetened drinks, and says this principle is mainly based on expert opinion.^[7] Both guidelines also advise limiting alcohol, and EULAR names beer and spirits in particular; see beer, wine and purines. For fish choices, see purines in fish and seafood.

Do purines from vegetables count the same?

In the studies available, purines from plants were not linked to a higher risk of gout. In the men's study above, purine-rich vegetables (peas, beans, lentils, spinach, mushrooms, oatmeal, cauliflower) were not associated with gout.^[4] In the people with gout, plant purines showed a much weaker link than animal purines: 1.39 (0.98–1.98) for the highest fifth, and no level of plant-purine intake was statistically significant on its own.^[5] A 2024 meta-analysis found no significant link between vegetables and gout: odds ratio 0.96 (0.74–1.24).^[8]

The type of purine may explain part of this. The purines in meat and fish are mostly hypoxanthine, while those in vegetables, soy and mushrooms are mostly adenine and guanine. The Kaneko authors cite studies in which hypoxanthine raised uric acid the most.^[2]

Does cooking lower purines?

Not per 100 g, in the data we use. In the USDA database, every raw and cooked meat pair measured higher after cooking: bacon 140.7 raw and 428.8 pan-fried, pork loin 237.2 and 333.5, chicken breast 289.0 and 368.6 roasted. USDA explains this by water and fat loss during cooking.^[1] The Kaneko study found the same for beef: 135.2 raw, 143.5 heated.^[2]

What this means in practice

Every figure here is per 100 g, a reference amount, not a portion. A couple of anchovy fillets on a pizza, a thin slice of ham and a large steak carry very different amounts, even when their per-100 g values are close. To estimate a meal, scale each value to the weight you actually eat.

• Organ meats, milt and small oily fish are the most concentrated everyday foods.
• Meat and seafood vary by lab and cut; the guidelines' focus is on how much and how often.
• Dried legumes look high because they are weighed dry; canned beans are far lower.
• Yeast supplements are among the highest values of all; ask your doctor before taking them.
• Purine-rich vegetables were not linked to higher risk in the studies above.

Printable version: purine chart (PDF): common foods on one page.

Real dishes mix many ingredients, which is where tables get hard to use. An app like Smart Gout Care can estimate the purines in a dish from a photo. For personal advice, especially if you take medication for gout, ask your doctor or dietitian.