A low purine diet may help treat and prevent gout attack. Here is the information about the various foods which are low in purine content, and foods which should be avoided by people affected by gout.
Purines are a group of aromatic organic compounds, which contain two fused rings of carbon and nitrogen atoms. They are one of the most widely distributed nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds (organic compound containing at least one atom of carbon) in nature. They are one of the two classes of bases in nucleic acids.
Some of the important purines other than the bases of nucleic acids are adenosine, uric acid, caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine. The human body produces purine naturally, and it is broken down into uric acid. Overproduction of this uric acid leads to gout.
Purine plays an important role in body metabolism such as cellular signaling process, energy metabolism, translation, and disposal mechanism. It also acts as a powerful antioxidant.
Overproduction or deficiency of purine causes certain metabolic diseases such as gout, xanthinuria and adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) deficiency, lesch-nyhan syndrome, adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency, 5' nucleotidase defect, adenosine deaminase (ADA) & purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) deficiency, myoadenylate deaminase deficiency, and so on.
Low Purine Diet
Among the various purine metabolic diseases, gout or hyperuricemia is one of the most common. It is caused due to overproduction of uric acid in the body. Excess uric acid is also deposited as uric acid crystals in the joints, resulting in swelling and inflammation. Thus, patients of gout experience severe joint pain.
Treatment of this condition is done by limiting purine-rich foods and other medications. Maintaining body weight and exercising regularly also helps in the treatment of this condition.
The diet should include ample fruits and fruit juices. In addition, one should drink plenty of water to help the body in flushing out excess uric acid. This may also prevent formation of uric acid crystals and/or stones.
Vegetables such as cauliflower, asparagus, green peas, spinach, beans, and mushrooms are moderately rich in purine. So, consumption of these vegetables should be limited.
However, there is no relevant data available about the effect of these vegetables on purine metabolism. Also, other green vegetables and tomatoes have relatively low purine content.
Red meat (meat obtained from mammals) such as beef, pork, and lamb are rich sources of purine.
Meat from certain parts such as the kidney and liver is extremely high in purine. Thus, red meat and organ meat should be avoided as far as possible. Poultry foods are safe if they are included in limited quantities.
Dark berries are beneficial since they contain chemicals that reduce uric acid levels. Tofu (fermented soybean) is found to be very effective in lowering uric acid levels.
Milk and milk products such as cheese and butter have less amount of purine. Also nuts, corn, cornbread, tapioca, white bread, noodles, ice cream, chocolate, tea, and coffee are safe for consumption in such cases.
Seafood especially oysters, mackerels, salmons, sardines, clams, and herrings should be avoided, as they have high-purine content. Seafood other than these are safe to include in the diet, but care should be taken to not over consume them. Fish eggs (roe) are also rich in purine, and therefore they should be avoided.
Beer and other alcoholic beverages which are produced by yeast fermentation should be avoided, since they are rich in purine. Consumption of alcoholic beverages increase the frequency of gout attacks.
Studies have found that a balanced diet should include complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Protein content should be low, i.e, around 15% calories and should be from selected food items like poultry and soybean. The total calories from fat should be as low as 30%.
Also, it is recommended to consult your physician and dietitian before following any diet plan.