Last reviewed: 2026-07-25 • Editorial Standards
Evidence-based analysis — mackerel, canned, Seafood
With 246 mg of purine per 100g, mackerel, canned ranks #137 out of 164 foods in the Seafood category (sorted lowest to highest purine). The category average is 193 mg/100g — mackerel, canned is above average for Seafood.
Raw purine numbers in isolation can be misleading. A food with 80 mg/100g of purine could be among the lowest in its category (e.g., meats) or among the highest (e.g., vegetables). Ranking foods within their category provides context: it answers "where does this food stand relative to alternatives I might choose instead?"
Within most categories, purine levels span a wide range. In the Seafood category, for instance, values range from under 50 mg/100g for some white fish to over 800 mg/100g for dried anchovies. Understanding this spread — and where your preferred foods fall — helps build a personalized diet that balances safety with preference. Those in the bottom third of their category are generally the safest regular options.
The ranking below shows all {cat} foods in our database sorted from lowest purine (rank #1) to highest purine (rank #{cat_total}). Only foods with lab-measured purine data are included. The rank is a relative position within the category, not an absolute safety score — always check the actual purine milligram value next to the rank, as the difference between adjacent ranks can be trivial or dramatic depending on the category spread.
For gout dietary planning, the category average serves as a useful reference point. Foods below the average are better-than-typical choices for that category. If most foods you eat within a category consistently fall above average, consider shifting toward lower-ranked alternatives within the same food group rather than eliminating the category entirely.