Protein is a crude proxy for purines; a more precise proxy is muscle. Apart from the notable dietary purines above, the main source of dietary purines is DNA and RNA, via their bases adenine and guanine. All sources of dietary protein supply some purines, but some sources provide far more purines than others. Meat (particularly dark meat) and seafood are high in purine because muscle cells are packed with mitochondria, which have their own DNA and RNA. In a large prospective study, high consumption of meat and seafood were found associated with an elevated risk of gout onset (41% and 50%, respectively). High consumption of dairy products, high in protein but very low in DNA and RNA, was associated with a 44% decrease in the incidence of gout. Consumption of the more purine-rich vegetables or a high protein diet per se had no significant correlation.
Now, if you happened to suffer from Gout, a condition in which uric acid begins to build up and crystallize, causing severe discomfort, you might take pause to think about the seafood consumption, tasty as it might be.
Next time on "Your Science Fun Fact of the Day", top 10 reasons why you shouldn't jab rusty bits of metal into your eyes.
-transiit
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