Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis caused by excess uric acid buildup in the body. During gout attacks, uric acid crystals deposit in the joints and cause sudden pain, swelling, and tenderness. While certain foods are known to trigger painful gout flares, many people wonder – are pork chops one of them?
In this article, we’ll explore the potential link between eating pork chops and gout. We’ll discuss factors like:
- Purines in pork and other meats
- Research on pork and gout risk
- Dietary guidelines for gout management
- Healthier ways to eat pork chops
- Foods to avoid with gout
Understanding how pork fits into a gout-friendly diet can help you make informed choices to better manage this painful condition
Do Pork Chops Contain Purines?
Purines are natural compounds found in some foods that increase uric acid production in the body. Foods particularly high in purines include certain meats, seafood, and some plant foods
When digesting purine-rich foods, the body breaks down purines into uric acid. Excess accumulation of uric acid is what leads to gout in those with a genetic predisposition.
Most meats contain at least moderate amounts of purines. And yes – pork chops do naturally contain purines.
Some research shows pork contains less purines than beef or lamb, but more than chicken or plant proteins. The purine content also varies between different cuts of pork.
How Does Eating Pork Affect Gout Risk?
While purine content offers a clue, what does research actually say about pork and incidence of gout attacks?
Here’s an overview of key findings on pork chops and gout risk:
-
A large study of over 20,000 male gout patients found total meat intake and consumption of beef or lamb – but not pork – was linked with recurrent gout attacks.
-
Data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up study showed higher gout risk with increasing beef and seafood intake, while poultry and pork intake wasn’t associated with increased recurring gout attacks.
-
An analysis of the Nurses’ Health Study found frequent beef and lamb consumption increased gout risk in women, while moderate pork intake didn’t alter risk.
-
Research on Taiwanese gout patients revealed frequent pork consumption was associated with nearly 3 times higher odds of recurrent gout compared to healthy controls. All meat intake was linked with greater risk.
As you can see, study results are mixed regarding pork chops and gout flares. While moderate pork intake seems neutral for most, eating it often may potentially increase recurrent gout risk.
Diet Guidelines to Better Manage Gout
Diet plays an important part in effective gout management. Here are some key dietary guidelines based on the latest research:
-
Limit total meat intake to 4-6 oz per day and avoid very large servings. Choose leaner cuts of meat like pork loin.
-
Fish, shellfish and yeast extracts are highest in purines – eat them sparingly.
-
Avoid sugary drinks, alcohol, and crash diets, which can trigger gout attacks.
-
Drink at least 64 oz of water daily to flush out uric acid and reduce gout flares.
-
Choose low-fat dairy products, which are linked to lower gout risk.
-
Increase intake of fruits and vegetables, especially cherries and berries, which help reduce inflammation.
-
Maintain a healthy body weight since excess weight is a risk factor for gout.
-
Limit foods high in fructose like soda and processed snacks, which increase uric acid.
Following an overall balanced, low-purine diet tailored to your calorie needs can help manage gout while still allowing you to occasionally enjoy pork chops and other moderate purine foods.
Healthier Ways to Eat Pork Chops with Gout
If you want to keep enjoying pork chops while managing gout, here are some tips:
-
Choose a leaner pork chop cut like the tenderloin or boneless sirloin. These are lower in fat and purines.
-
Portion your pork chop to no more than 4-6 oz cooked weight – near the recommended daily limit for total meat.
-
Avoid breaded or fried pork chops, which add calories, fat, and carbs. Opt for grilled, baked or broiled.
-
Pair your pork with lower purine foods like potatoes, rice, noodles or a salad as your meal sides.
-
Cook pork thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 145°F to kill any harmful bacteria present.
-
Balance out higher purine meals by eating lower purine foods the rest of the day, like dairy, eggs or plant proteins.
Following these simple suggestions allows you to work pork chops into your diet in a gout-friendly way.
5 Foods Gout Sufferers Should Avoid
To minimize gout flares, here are 5 categories of foods those with gout are advised to avoid:
1. Organ meats – Organ meats like liver and sweetbreads have extremely high purine levels and are strongly linked to gout attacks.
2. Anchovies, sardines, herring – These small, oil-rich fish are higher in purines than most other seafood.
3.shellfish – Scallops, shrimp, lobster and other shellfish are high in purines and associated with gout risk.
4. Sugary drinks – Fructose-rich beverages like soda, sweet tea and energy drinks are suspected to increase uric acid and gout flares.
5. Alcohol, especially beer – Beer is high in purines while all alcohol can trigger dehydration and sudden gout episodes.
The Bottom Line
Overall, research suggests that eating a 6 oz pork chop a few times weekly poses a relatively low risk for increasing recurrent gout attacks. Choosing leaner cuts, controlling portions, avoiding frying, and pairing pork with low purine foods makes enjoying an occasional pork chop possible with gout.
Limiting organ meats, shellfish, sugary beverages and alcohol has a much bigger impact for preventing gout flares. An overall balanced diet tailored to your specific calorie needs and genetics is key for optimizing gout management.
Gout diet: What’s allowed, what’s not
Starting a gout diet? Understand which foods are OK and which to avoid.
Gout is a painful type of arthritis that happens when the body has too much uric acid, which forms crystals in and around joints.
Uric acid is produced when the body breaks down a chemical called purine. Purine occurs naturally in your body, but its also found in certain foods. Uric acid is eliminated from the body in urine.
A gout diet may help decrease uric acid levels in the blood. A gout diet isnt a cure. But it may lower the risk of recurring gout attacks and slow the progression of joint damage.
People with gout who follow a gout diet usually still need to take painkillers and medicines to lower their uric acid levels.
A gout diet is designed to help you:
- Achieve a healthy weight and good eating habits
- Avoid some, but not all, foods with purines
- Include some foods that can control uric acid levels
A good rule of thumb is to eat moderate portions of healthy foods.
The general principles of a gout diet follow typical healthy-diet recommendations:
- Weight loss. Gout is more likely to happen if you are overweight, and less likely to happen if you lose weight. Research shows that cutting calories and losing weight can lower uric acid levels and the number of gout attacks, even if you are not on a purine-restricted diet. Losing weight also lessens the overall stress on joints.
- Complex carbs. Eat more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables because they have complex carbs. Stay away from foods and drinks that contain high-fructose corn syrup, and drink less fruit juice that is naturally sweet.
- Water. Stay well-hydrated by drinking water.
- Fats. Lessen the amount of red meat, fatty poultry, and high-fat dairy products you eat.
- Proteins. As protein sources, you should eat lean meat and poultry, low-fat dairy, and lentils.
Recommendations for specific foods or supplements include:
- Organ and glandular meats. Stay away from meats like liver, kidney, and sweetbreads because they are high in purines and raise uric acid levels in the blood.
- Red meat. Limit serving sizes of beef, lamb and pork.
- Seafood. Anchovies, shellfish, sardines, and tuna are some of the seafood that have more purines than others. But people with gout may benefit more from eating fish in general than from the risks. People with gout can eat small amounts of fish as part of their diet.
- High-purine vegetables. Studies have shown that vegetables like spinach and asparagus that are high in purines don’t make you more likely to get gout or have more attacks of it.
- Alcohol. Beer and distilled liquors can make you more likely to get gout and have attacks more often. Moderate wine drinking doesn’t seem to make gout attacks more likely. If you have gout, don’t drink alcohol during attacks, and drink less alcohol, especially beer, between attacks.
- Sugary foods and beverages. Sugary cereals, baked goods, and candies should be eaten less or not at all. Limit consumption of naturally sweet fruit juices.
- Vitamin C. Vitamin C may help lower uric acid levels. Talk to your doctor about whether a 500-mg vitamin C supplement fits with what you already eat and take.
- Coffee. Some studies show that drinking coffee in moderation, especially regular coffee with caffeine, may be linked to a lower risk of getting gout. If you have other health problems, you might not want to drink coffee. Talk to your doctor about how much coffee you can drink.
- Cherries. Some evidence shows that eating cherries may lower your risk of having a gout attack.
Heres what you might eat during a typical day on a gout diet.
- Whole-grain, unsweetened cereal with skim or low-fat milk
- 1 cup fresh strawberries
- Coffee
- Water
- Two-ounce slices of roasted chicken breast on a whole-grain roll with mustard
- To dress the mixed green salad with vegetables, nuts, and balsamic vinegar and olive oil, use 1 tablespoon.
- Skim or low-fat milk or water
- 1 cup fresh cherries
- Water
- Roasted salmon (3 to 4 ounces)
- Roasted or steamed green beans
- 1/2 to 1 cup of whole-grain pasta with lemon pepper and olive oil
- Water
- Low-fat yogurt
- 1 cup fresh melon
- Caffeine-free beverage, such as herbal tea
Following a gout diet can help limit uric acid production and increase its elimination. A gout diet probably won’t lower the amount of uric acid in your blood enough to treat your gout without medicine. But it may help decrease the number of attacks and limit their severity.
Along with cutting back on calories and working out regularly, a gout diet can also help you reach and keep a healthy weight, which is good for your health in general.
There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form.
From Mayo Clinic to your inbox
Sign up for free to get the latest news on health research, health tips, current health issues, and expert advice on how to manage your health. Click here for an email preview. Email.
ErrorEmail field is required
ErrorInclude a valid email address
We may combine information we have about you with information about how you use our website and emails so that we can give you the most useful and relevant information and figure out what information is useful. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. Let’s put this information together with your protected health information. We will handle it all as protected health information and will only use or share it in ways that are described in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.