Where Our Numbers Come From
Every purine value on this website traces back to one of two primary sources: the USDA+ODS-NIH PURINE DATABASE Release 2 (March 2025) or the comprehensive purine analysis by Kaneko, Aoyagi, Fukuuchi, Inazawa, and Yamaoka published in Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin (2014). Understanding how these numbers are produced — and their limitations — is essential for interpreting the data correctly.
Source 1: USDA+ODS-NIH PURINE DATABASE
Released in March 2025, this is the most comprehensive English-language purine reference. It was developed jointly by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS-NIH) specifically to support dietary management of gout and hyperuricemia. The database covers the four purine bases (adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, xanthine) plus total purines across hundreds of foods common in Western diets. It is the primary data source for North American and European food items.
Source 2: Kaneko et al. 2014
Kaneko K, Aoyagi Y, Fukuuchi T, Inazawa K, and Yamaoka N published "Total Purine and Purine Base Content of Common Foodstuffs for Facilitating Nutritional Therapy for Gout and Hyperuricemia" in Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin (2014, Vol. 37, No. 5, pp. 709-721, PMID: 24553148). This study analyzed 270 foodstuffs using HPLC and categorized purines into six risk classes. It is the most-cited purine reference in the medical literature and covers many foods common in Asian diets that are absent from Western databases. The Japanese guideline of <400 mg/day dietary purine intake is derived from this work.
Quality Tiers (T1/T2/T3)
Not all purine data is equal. Foods labeled T1 have had both purine and fructose content individually measured by HPLC analysis — these are the most reliable values. T2 foods have one dimension lab-measured with the other estimated from scientific consensus for similar foods — reliable but less precise. T3 foods have neither dimension individually measured; their values are inferred from category averages — useful for directional guidance but not for precise dietary calculations. Each food's detail page displays its quality tier.
Limitations
Individual food purine content varies by variety, growing conditions, season, processing, and storage — the lab-measured value represents a point estimate, not a range. Cooking alters purine content (boiling reduces it, frying concentrates it), and unless otherwise noted, values are for raw, uncooked food. The database is continuously updated as new HPLC analyses become available. Always check the food's detail page for the most current data and specific source attribution.
Data Sources: USDA+ODS-NIH PURINE DATABASE Release 2, March 2025. Kaneko K, et al. Biol Pharm Bull 2014;37(5):709-721. PMID: 24553148. USDA SR28 Food Composition Tables.