A purine is a type of organic compound that plays a critical role as a building block of genetic material called nucleotides. Nucleotides include the familiar double-helix strands such as DNA and RNA. Purines help form the molecular base pairs that connect the two helixes together like the rungs on a ladder. It is from these base pairs that organic information is coded. There are four base pairs that make up a DNA strand, but only two can be classified as purines: guanine and adenine. The purines that the body uses to make these base pairs must come from the diet.
Sources of Purine
High concentrations of purines are found in bread, dried beans, peas, leafy green vegetables, the yeast from beer, wine, gravy, meat, seafood and fish. Animal liver is the richest source because it's the primary site of purine metabolism and breakdown. When choosing foods, remember that there is generally a positive association between the amount of protein and the total content of purines.
Risks of Purine Consumption
The consumption of purine-rich foods has been associated with an increased risk for an arthritic condition known as gout, which is characterized by inflammation in the joints. The main cause of gout is a molecule known as uric acid. It forms at the moment when the liver breaks down purines near the end of their lifecycle. In the blood uric acid is a type of antioxidant --- a molecule that protects cells from various damage. However, a high amount of uric acid can form needle-like urate crystals in the joints. This is a painful condition that will cause swelling and possibly a fever.
Research
A 2004 study published in "The New England Journal of Medicine" found that high levels of meat and seafood consumption are associated with an increased risk of gout in men. Moderate intake of purine-rich vegetables is not associated with an increased risk, whereas a high level of dairy consumption is actually associated with a decreased risk. This suggests that the type of food matters just as much as, if not more than, the purine content.
Amount of Purine
A normal diet contains about 600 to 1,000 mg of purine a day. If you are intentionally restricting the amount of purines in your diet, however, then you may only consume between 100 and 150 mg a day. This requires that you develop some discrimination when choosing your foods. A 3 oz. serving of liver can contain up to 1,000 mg of purine alone. Certain kinds of fish, such as haddock, herring, sardines, codfish and mackerel, are almost equally as high.
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