The content of purines in food: a table of indicators, norms, effects on the body, methods of regulation

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

In the article, consider the table of purine content in food.

Purine is a widely distributed substance in nature, which is part of the cell structure of all organisms on the planet. It is this structural element that serves as the basis for the construction of nucleic acids necessary for life, as well as a number of various enzymes. Purine normalizes energy metabolism in the human body, improves the absorption of vitamins and macronutrients, and, in addition, prevents the occurrence of metabolic failure and performs a host of other biologically important functions.

On the content of purines (uric acid) in products, few people think.

Purine and its features

At the moments of cell death, the destruction of purine is observed, which is accompanied by the active production of uric acid. This process is natural for the human body, thanks to it significant benefits are brought. Uric acid is considered excellentan antioxidant and a component that has a beneficial effect on the condition of blood vessels. True, the beneficial properties of this compound appear only in situations where its concentration in tissues and organs does not exceed the permissible limits.

Everyone should have a list of high purine foods.

Consequences of an excess of uric acid in the body

Normally, one liter of adult blood should contain:

• 34 to 70 milligrams of uric acid in men.
• 24 to 57 milligrams for women.

However, in case of abuse of food containing purine or in the event of a violation in the kidneys, the values \u200b\u200bof these numbers may go beyond the established limit. Excessive accumulation of uric acid, which is formed during the breakdown of purine in the tendons, blood, joints and other organs of the human body, leads to the development of rheumatic pathologies, which is called gout.

Unbearable joint pain

The onset of this disease may be accompanied by the appearance of unbearable pain in the affected joint (usually in the area of the big toe), swelling of the surrounding tissues and reddening of the skin over the focus of the pathology. In the absence of therapy, new joints are additionally involved in pathological processes along with internal organs and tissues.

On the content of purines in food, we will tell below. In the meantime, let's find out what the norm is.

Purine guidelines

The main method of preventing gout isstrict control over the intake of purine. According to the established norm, the daily dosage of this compound cannot exceed 700 milligrams. At the same time, plant foods should primarily act as a key source of this substance.

This requirement has a clear scientific basis. It has been proven that excessive ingestion of plant foods that are rich in purine is not a factor contributing to the onset of gout. At the same time, excessive consumption of meat products dramatically increases the risk of this disease.

Dieting

Against the background of excessive accumulation of uric acid in the body and the development of gout, patients are prescribed a diet that provides for the exclusion of foods from the diet, which are a rich source of purine. The daily norm of such a compound is reduced from 700 to 150 milligrams.

What foods have purine?

The table of purine content in foods will help you understand this issue.

To control the intake of purine in your body, you need to master the information about its content in foods. It has been proven that this compound is present in the highest concentrations in cells that divide at an increased rate (namely, in baker's yeast), and, in addition, in meat by-products. Consider what purine foods we eat:

• Eating meat from young animals.
• Food with mushroom, meat, vegetable and fish broths.
• Jolodets along with all kinds of aspic dishes.
• Using sauces and gravies based on meat broth.
• Foods high in purines are dishes made with organ meats.
• Eating smoked meat in the form of sausages, wings, ham and so on.
• Eating caviar and fatty fish (including canned food) along with s alty and spicy low-fat cheeses.
• Drinking energizing beverages (cocoa, rich black tea, coffee, etc.)
• Any kind of animal fat.
• Eating legumes in the form of peas, soybeans, lentils, beans and so on.
• Products based on grapes. We are talking about wine, raisins and more.

Table of Purine Content in Foods

See the table below for more information on purine content in nutritious foods.

Product List	Purine content in milligrams per 100 grams
Chicken liver	239
Coffee ground	1223
Sprats	214
Fresh yeast	311
Dry yeast	751
Beef liver	219
Cocoa powder	1797
Sardines canned in oil	137
Calf's liver	174
Saida	157
Herring caviar	178
Beef lung	157
Mussels	142
Black tea	2756

Foods high in purines are not always he althy.

High and low levels of purine and uric acid

When cells die, purines are destroyed. And they don't just break down, they create uric acid. This is a normal process, even beneficial to the body. The benefit of this acid is that, acting as an antioxidant, in normal amounts it protects the blood vessels in the human body. According to medical standards, the amount of this acid in the blood of men should be from 3.4 to 7.0 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood, and for women from 2.4 to 5.7.

However, the amount of this acid directly in the blood and other parts of the body can be too high for various reasons. The main reason is kidney problems. Given that the kidneys in humans are responsible for maintaining this level in a balanced way, their ill he alth leads toexcessive accumulation of acid in different parts of the body, for example, in the tendons, the kidneys themselves, joints and other organs. This accumulation of acid crystals is called gouty arthritis, or simply gout. And with this problem, nutritionists are advised to reduce the consumption of foods containing purine.

A low-purine diet is often prescribed in the treatment of obesity and kidney and bladder stones, because the causes of their occurrence are also excessive accumulation of this acid in the tissues of the human body.

Purines: effects on the body

The content of purines in foods affects the human body as follows:

• Purines are converted to uric acid in the human body.
• High levels of uric acid increase the risk of crystals in the urinary tract and joints. In these cases, a purine-minimizing diet can be beneficial.
• The formation of uric acid in the body occurs under the condition of a he althy metabolism, which is considered normal. In the blood, the acid acts as an antioxidant, preventing vascular damage.
• Under certain conditions, the level of this acid in the human body, especially in the blood, can become too high. The kidneys are the organ that is responsible for the balanced concentration of uric acid in the human body.
• Any deviation in the functioning of the kidneys, which a person is not yet aware of, can increase the concentration of thisacids.
• The accumulation of this acid leads to the formation of its crystals deposited in the tendons, kidneys, joints and other organs.

This condition is called gouty arthritis, or more commonly known as gout.

Methods of regulation

The average daily diet for he althy people should contain approximately 600 to 1000 milligrams of purines. Recent studies have shown that the effect of plant purine on the risk of gout and kidney stones is very different from that of animal purines. The latter, moreover, are heterogeneous. The fact is that purines from meat and fish act in a completely different way than the same element from dairy products.

Purine foods have been listed above.

Purines from meat and fish greatly increase the risk of gout. As for purines from vegetables, they practically do not affect this in any way. Dairy products may also increase this risk, but only slightly.

Dose reduction

In the case of gout, especially in the presence of an exacerbation or in severe cases, nutritionists advise reducing the daily dosage of purines to 150 milligrams. To understand what exactly we are talking about, it is necessary to know that three servings of some foods can contain up to 900 milligrams of purines. What foods contain more purines than they should? These nutrients include anchovies along withherring, kidneys, liver, mackerel, meat extracts, minced meat and mussels.

Low-purine diets are often prescribed in the treatment of obesity and kidney stones.

Purines and human he alth

Purines are essential for the human body. The fact is that uric acid, which is formed during the breakdown of purines, is also essential for he alth, however, only in certain and limited quantities. It should be noted that under certain conditions, the metabolic processes of purines in the body are disturbed. So far, research in this area is not conclusive, but many practitioners and nutritionists suggest screening for purines in children and even infants in case of certain he alth problems.

Such problems include anemia along with lack of normal weight, height, development, cerebral palsy and autism, combined with deafness, epilepsy, a tendency to recurrent infections, and an inability to walk or speak. It is impossible to completely exclude foods that contain purines. But in the case of any kidney disease, it is necessary to reduce their consumption in order to facilitate the work of this organ, reducing the risk of arthritis and gout.

Hints for cooking foods high in purines

A competent approach in every family to the preparation of products that contain purine makes it possible to avoid problems that are caused by excessive accumulation of urinaryacids. It is in connection with this that people who suffer from gout or are at risk for this disease must follow a few simple recommendations:

• You should always drain the liquid in which the meat was cooked, do not use the broth for sauces, soups and other dishes.
• It is required to refuse the consumption of raw green peas, and, in addition, from asparagus beans (the fact is that these vegetables should be thoroughly boiled).
• It is mandatory to avoid fasting, which leads to a sharp increase in the concentration of acid in the blood (this requirement applies not just to long fasts, but even short debilitating diets).
• Limiting the consumption of drinks that contribute to increased removal of water from the body (we are talking about grape wines, coffee, soda, strong black tea, etc.).
• You can not eat plant and animal tissues inside which accelerated cell division occurs (we are talking about meat obtained from young animals, sprouted wheat, greens, asparagus and more).

When choosing meat, it is important to consider that the content of purine in muscle tissue is directly proportional to the intensity of its functioning. For this reason, directly in the legs of the chicken, its concentration will be noticeably higher compared to the breast, and in the pork ham it will be higher than in the tenderloin. Predatory fish that are forced to hunt a lot (for example, tuna or pike) contain much more of this substance than non-predatory meat.representatives.

Unfortunately, the right choice of nutritious foods can not always guarantee a person a successful decrease in the concentration of this acid in the blood. In such cases, nutritionists are advised to abandon attempts at self-therapy by seeking professional advice from a doctor.

We looked at the table of purine content in food.