Purine Foods

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A diet that comprises high purine foods is considered to be one of the main reasons for people suffering from an extremely painful medical condition known as gout.

Before going to the segment of purine foods, it would be viable if I brief you on what are purines. These are nucleotide bases which are naturally present in the cells of animals and plants. Their different properties make them essential constituents of life.

When these substances are broken down by the body, they give rise to the formation of uric acid. But when too much of these substance undergo the breakdown process, uric acid levels in the blood rise. This in turn leads to the development of a complex form of arthritis known as gout, and other health problems.

When there is too much production of uric acid in the body or the kidneys excrete too little of it, the acid starts building up. This build up can take the form of needle-like uric crystals in a joint or surrounding tissues, causing pain, swelling and inflammation.

Many studies showed increase incidences of gout in people who were on a high purine diet. This is the reason why purine rich foods and gout are interrelated. This however, is not in the case of foods low in purine.

Foods With Purine

Let's begin this segment with some commonly known foods that are high in purine. According to reports, foods having a measure of 400 mg of purine content (per 100 g) and above are considered to be high in purine. A measure of 100 - 400 mg comes in the moderate list, and low purine foods are those which have a purine content of 100 mg and lower. Here are the lists of all these kinds.

Foods Rich in Purine

Foods: Purine Content per 100 g Pig's lungs: 434 Spleen of ox: 444 Calf's liver: 460 Sardines: 480 Edible Boletus mushroom: 488 Liver of pig: 515 Heart of pig: 530 Liver of ox: 554 Baker's yeast: 680 Spleen of sheep: 773 Smoked sprat: 804 Brewer's yeast: 1810 Theobromine: 2300

Foods Low in Purine

Foods: Purine Content per 100 g Cooked rice: 5.9 Plain yogurt: 7 Cherry, sweet: 7.1 Cucumber: 7.3 Cottage cheese: 8 Tomato: 11 Wheat flour: 11.5 Chicory: 12 Pear: 12 Rhubarb: 12 Lettuce: 13 Onion: 13 Radishes: 13

Foods: Purine Content per 100 g Apple: 14 Fennel leaves: 14 Gooseberry: 16 Carrot: 17 Currant, red: 17 Endive: 17 Raspberry: 18 Avocado: 19 Beet root: 19 Kiwi fruit: 19 Orange: 19 Pineapple: 19 Aubergine: 21 Peach: 21

Foods: Purine Content per 100 g Strawberry: 21 White cabbage: 22 Asparagus: 23 Brazil nuts: 23 Plum: 24 Grape: 27 Cress: 28 Bamboo shoots: 29 Celeriac: 30 Morel: 30 Quince: 30 Black elderberry: 33

Foods: Purine Content per 100 g Dried dates: 33 French beans: 37 Sweet almond: 37 Savoy cabbage: 37 Hazel nuts: 37 Cauliflower: 51 Rye: 51 Sweet corn: 52 Green peppers: 52 Black pudding: 55 Garbanza bean: 56 Banana: 57

Foods: Purine Content per 100 g Mushroom: 58 Crayfish: 60 Sesame: 62 Plum, dried: 64 Chives: 67 Tofu: 68 Brussels sprouts: 62 Sesame: 69 Apricot: 73

Foods: Purine Content per 100 g Leek: 74 Cranberry bean: 75 Artichoke: 78 Nuts, peanut: 79 Tench: 80 Salmon: 88 Oyster: 90 Pea, seed, dry: 96

Foods Moderately High In Purine

Foods: Purine Content per 100 g Broiled steak: 121 Chicken thigh: 126 Roasted lamb: 127 Chicken breast: 130.7 Squid: 135 Tuna: 142

Foods: Purine Content per 100 g Liver of a lamb: 147 Red bean: 162 Pinto bean: 171 Split peas: 195 Lentils: 222 Black eye peas: 230 Shrimp: 234 Mackerel: 246 Anchovies: 321

That would be all for my short treatise on foods with high, low and moderate quantity of purine. Although purine rich foods do contribute in causing conditions such as gout, it must be noted that they are not always harmful until consumed in limited amounts.