Your body naturally produces purines and breaks them down into uric acid. However, high levels of uric acid can accumulate and crystallize in the joints, resulting in a painful form of arthritis called gout, as can be discovered on MayoClinic.com. The level of purine -- and uric acid -- in your blood can increase if you eat certain foods, so it is important to avoid foods and drinks high in purines to decrease your risk of developing or aggravating gout.
Meat
Meat organs such as liver, kidney and heart contain the highest levels of purines, ranging from 197 to 289 mg of purine per 100 g of food, according to Dietary Fiber Food. Red meats such as beef, pork and lamb also have high levels of purines, notes MayoClinic.com, which also recommends limiting the intake of meat to four to six ounces daily to lower your risk of gout.
Seafood
Of the purine-containing seafood, anchovies have the highest content at 411 mg of purine per 100 g of food. Sardines, whether fresh or canned, also contain very high levels of purines, ranging from 378 to 399 mg. Canned herring, fresh salmon, canned mackerel and canned shrimp are also rich in purines, as are canned tuna, fresh clams and fresh oysters. Canned clams and canned salmon contain lower amounts of purines than their fresh counterparts.
Vegetables
Peas, beans, lentils, spinach, mushrooms, oatmeal and cauliflower are vegetables the New England Journal of Medicine lists as containing high levels of purines. Of these, black-eyed peas are the most purine-rich legume, containing 230 mg of purine per 100 g of food. Lentils contain 222 mg of purine, great northern beans have 213 mg, small white beans have 202 mg and split peas have 195 mg of purine per 100 g of food.
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages contain low levels of purine; however, a 2004 study in the journal Lancet showed that alcohol intake increases the risk of gout in men. Specifically, beer increases the risk of gout more than wine. According to Dietary Fiber Food, British beers contain 27 mg, while Guinness contains 24 mg of purine per liter of drink.
