Is pork bad for gout?
Pork is low to moderate in purines, and pork tenderloin has 120 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) raw (76 to 120 mg across the 5 kinds measured). A 4 oz (113 g) serving of pork tenderloin has about 136 mg, 34% of the 400 mg a day that the Japanese gout guideline sets as a ceiling.
This page is for people with gout or high uric acid. If your doctor has given you a specific diet or medicine, follow that plan. These numbers help you compare foods within it.
Purines in pork
| Kind measured | Purines per 100 g (3.5 oz) | Group | Per 4 oz (113 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork, tenderloin | 119.7 mg | moderate | 136 mg |
| Pork, sirloin | 90.9 mg | low | 103 mg |
| Pork, shoulder | 81.4 mg | low | 92 mg |
| Pork, ribs | 75.8 mg | low | 86 mg |
| Pork, rump | 113.0 mg | moderate | 128 mg |
Total purines (adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine and xanthine) measured by HPLC in foods bought in Japan, Kaneko K et al. Total purine and purine base content of common foodstuffs. Biol Pharm Bull 2014;37(5):709-721. Groups: very low under 50 mg, low 50 to 100 mg, moderate 100 to 200 mg, high 200 to 300 mg, very high over 300 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g).
The threshold
The Japanese guideline for hyperuricemia and gout recommends keeping dietary purines under 400 mg a day, and advises people with gout not to overeat foods with more than 200 mg of purines per 3.5 oz (100 g). US guidance from NIAMS (NIH) names food groups instead of numbers.
Japanese Society of Gout and Nucleic Acid Metabolism, Japanese guideline for the management of hyperuricemia and gout, 2nd edition (2011), as reported in Kaneko et al. 2014.
What NIAMS (NIH) says
- Level E NIAMS (NIH):
Having an unhealthy diet and eating foods that are rich in purines (usually from animal sources), a substance that breaks down into urate.
NIAMS, Gout, accessed 2026-10-12 - Level E NIAMS (NIH):
Avoiding red meats and organ meats (liver, kidney, tongue, and sweetbreads) that are higher in purines and may increase the risk for other health conditions.
NIAMS, Gout: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Steps to Take, accessed 2026-10-12
Word-for-word quotes. Level E means the position of an expert body. How we grade evidence.
Compared with similar foods
| Food | Purines per 3.5 oz (100 g) | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Pork | 119.7 mg | moderate |
| Mutton | 96.2 mg | low |
| Beef | 98.4 mg | low |
Same table, same method. Kaneko K et al. Total purine and purine base content of common foodstuffs. Biol Pharm Bull 2014;37(5):709-721.
Do purines in food matter?
Purine-rich animal foods and purine-rich vegetables do not behave the same way in studies.
- Level B In an RCT in 90 gout patients, a 42-day low-purine, energy-restricted diet lowered serum uric acid by 112.4 µmol/L more than in the control group. Nutrients, 2026
- Level C Observational data from 8 studies of 47,879 people with gout link high purine intake, especially from animal sources, with more gout flares. J Health Popul Nutr, 2025
- Level C Vegetables high in purines showed no link at all with blood urate, which is the number gout advice is built on. PLoS One, 2012
In practice
The five pork cuts on this page measured from 76 to 120 mg of purines per 3.5 oz (100 g), in pork bought in Japan. Tenderloin was the highest of them. A 4 oz serving of tenderloin has about 136 mg, about a third of the 400 mg a day in the Japanese guideline.
US advice is stricter than the numbers alone suggest. NIAMS advises people with gout to avoid red meats and organ meats, partly because they may raise the risk of other health conditions.
If you eat pork, ribs and shoulder were at the lower end, around 80 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). Pork liver is in a different class and measured over 280 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the same study.
Written from the agency positions and data on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Sources
- NIAMS, Gout, https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/gout (accessed 2026-10-12)
- NIAMS, Gout: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Steps to Take, https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/gout/diagnosis-treatment-and-steps-to-take (accessed 2026-10-12)
- Kaneko K et al. Total purine and purine base content of common foodstuffs. Biol Pharm Bull 2014;37(5):709-721, PMID 24553148, https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bpb/37/5/37_b13-00967/_html/-char/en (accessed 2026-10-12)
- Japanese Society of Gout and Nucleic Acid Metabolism, Japanese guideline for the management of hyperuricemia and gout, 2nd edition (2011), as reported in Kaneko et al. 2014
- Evidence cards: each study above links to its source. Card review dates are listed in our methodology.
Sources checked 2026-10-12. Bioma Learn provides information, not medical advice.