Purine Foods: What You Should and Shouldn't Eat
Eating a low-purine diet can help minimize the number of purines in the body and reduce the amount of uric acid in the blood.
What is purine?
Purines are substances found in certain foods. The body turns purines into uric acid. However, high levels of uric acid or hyperuricemia can cause gout, a form of arthritis that causes pain and inflammation in the joints.
What is hyperuricemia?
Hyperuricemia means you have high uric acid levels in your body. 1 in 5 people have hyperuricemia. Uric acid is a waste product that’s created when your body breaks down chemicals called purines in food and drinks. Most uric acid dissolves in your blood, passes through your kidneys and leaves your body in your urine. Hyperuricemia happens if too much uric acid stays in your body.
Hyperuricemia causes uric acid to clump together in sharp crystals. These crystals can settle in your joints and cause gout, a painful form of arthritis. They can also build up in your kidneys and form kidney stones.
What is gout?
Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that occurs when high levels of uric acid build up in the blood and form crystals in or around joints. This can lead to inflammation, pain and joint damage in severe cases. Approximately 5% of people have gout, and it is more common in males than females.
Symptoms of gout
Gout usually affects the big toe joint, but it can affect other joints, including:
- knees
- ankles
- feet
- hands
- wrists
- elbows
Gout flares can begin suddenly, often at night, and can last for several weeks. People tend to experience the most pain during the first 24 hours. Symptoms include:
- Intense pain
- Discoloration or redness
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Tenderness, even a light touch like the sheets touching your joint
- Warmth or a feeling of the joint being on fire
Can you prevent hyperuricemia and gout?
You can control the amount of uric acid in your body by limiting high-purine foods in your diet.
Foods high in purines
- Organ meats: liver, kidneys
- Red meats: bacon, beef, pork, lamb
- Game meats: veal, venison, duck
- Turkey: especially processed deli turkey
- Seafood: tuna, anchovies, sardines, herring, mackerel, scallops, trout
- Gravy
- Alcohol: especially beer and hard liquor
- Sugary drinks and sweets
- High fructose corn syrup
- Yeast and yeast extract
Foods low in purines
Eating a low-purine diet helps minimize the number of purines in the body and reduce the amount of uric acid in the blood. Eating the following foods that are low in purine can improve the symptoms associated with gout and kidney stones as well as benefit general health and well-being.
- Vegetables
- Fruits and fruit juices: especially cherries
- Whole grain breads, rice and cereals
- Eggs
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
- Low-fat cheese, milk and dairy products
Other gout risk factors
Gout can affect anyone, but the following health conditions can increase a person’s risk of developing gout:
- Overweight or obesity
- Congestive heart failure
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Kidney disease
- Blood cancer
Other factors that can increase the risk for gout include:
- Someone who has a biological parent or grandparent who has gout
- Eating a lot of animal proteins
- Drinking alcohol regularly
- Those who take a diuretic medication
- Those who take immunosuppressants
Eating a low-purine diet can help reduce your risk for gout as well as reduce gout symptoms during a flare-up. Talk with your healthcare clinician if you think you may have gout to get the proper diagnosis and treatment for you.