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Purine chart: 60 common foods (printable PDF)

Updated · smartgoutcare.com/purine-chart

Purines are natural compounds found in almost every food. The body breaks them down into uric acid. This chart gives total purines in mg per 100 g of food, raw unless the name says otherwise (cooked, canned, dried). Drinks are in mg per 100 mL.

Two labs, two columns. The values are measured values from the USDA purine database (2025) and a large laboratory study of common foods (Kaneko et al., 2014, and its 2015 update). The two labs measure differently, and USDA values are often about twice as high for the same food (raw chicken breast: 289 in USDA, 141.2 in Kaneko). Compare foods within one column, not across columns. A dash (—) means that lab did not measure the food.

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Kaneko column only: very low, under 50 low, 50–100 moderate, 100–200 high, 200–300 very high, over 300

The study's own five groups, in mg per 100 g. They apply to Kaneko values only; USDA values are not banded.

Organ meats
FoodUSDAKaneko study
Chicken liver—312.2
Pork liver—284.8
Beef liver—219.8
Lamb liver147—
Beef kidney—174.2
Foie gras (duck)—81.9
Meat & deli meats
FoodUSDAKaneko study
Chicken breast289141.2
Beef mince, lean (93%)188.9—
Beef tenderloin (steak)—98.4
Pork loin237.290.9
Lamb127.593.5
Ham (cooked, sliced)250.474.2
Prosciutto (Parma ham)—138.3
Bacon (uncooked)140.761.8
Salami215.1120.4
Frankfurter (hot dog)114.949.8
Fish
FoodUSDAKaneko study
Anchovies (species not identified)303.9–411—
Sardines345210.4
Mackerel194—
Herring—139.6
Tuna, canned211.8116.9
Salmon249.9119.3
Trout (rainbow)—180.9
Cod110.398.0
Shellfish
FoodUSDAKaneko study
Shrimp, prawns182.4—
Oysters—184.5
Clams—145.5
Scallops—76.5
Squid—186.8
Dairy & eggs
FoodUSDAKaneko study
Eggs—0.0
Milk—0.0
Yogurt—5.2
Cheese (type not stated)—5.7
Butter0—
Bread, rice, pasta & grains
FoodUSDAKaneko study
White bread12.2—
Baguette15.7—
White rice, cooked5.9—
Spaghetti (dry or cooked not stated)6.8—
Buckwheat flour—75.9
Legumes (dried vs canned)
FoodUSDAKaneko study
Lentils, dried222—
White beans, dried202—
White (navy) beans, canned21.2—
Chickpeas, dried56—
Chickpeas, canned21.6—
Green peas, canned72.418.8
Tofu (firm)—31.1
Vegetables & mushrooms
FoodUSDAKaneko study
Spinach—51.4
Broccoli—70.0
Asparagus (tips)—55.3
Tomato—6.5
Potato—6.5
Button mushroom—49.5
Fruit
FoodUSDAKaneko study
Banana—3.0
Strawberry—2.1
Avocado—18.4
Drinks (mg per 100 mL)
FoodUSDAKaneko study
Beer, regular8.48—
Beer, dark13.51—
Non-alcoholic beer & malt drinks2.93—
Wine (type not stated)1.19—
Whisky0.21—

Notes

  • Dried legumes are weighed dry, as bought; USDA canned legumes are drained and rinsed. Canned or cooked beans are closer to what ends up on the plate.
  • Anchovies: range of three USDA rows (raw and canned, US 1976; fresh, Japan 2020). None is an identified European anchovy.
  • Beer, regular: a pooled USDA mean of 38 beers from Japan and Central and Eastern Europe. Wine and spirits: Japanese market samples (Kaneko et al., 2009, via USDA).
  • Values are for the food as listed, per 100 g. A serving can be smaller or larger.

Sources

  1. Heydorn KC, Wu X, Garrett TJ, Kamat M, Pandey D, Vavilala S, Dwyer J, Wambogo E, Ershow AG, Thompson LD, Juraschek SP, Pehrsson PR. USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0. USDA Agricultural Research Service, Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory; March 2025. ars.usda.gov
  2. Kaneko K, Aoyagi Y, Fukuuchi T, Inazawa K, Yamaoka N. Total purine and purine base content of common foodstuffs for facilitating nutritional therapy for gout and hyperuricemia. Biol Pharm Bull. 2014;37(5):709-721. doi:10.1248/bpb.b13-00967
  3. Kaneko K, Fukuuchi T, Inazawa K, Yamaoka N, Fujimori S. 食品中プリン体含量および塩基別含有率の比較 [Comparison of purine content and purine base ratios in foods]. Gout and Nucleic Acid Metabolism (痛風と核酸代謝). 2015;39(1):7-21 (pages 7-22 of issue PDF). doi:10.6032/gnam.39.7

More detail, with portions and what guidelines say: