Gout patients don’t need to say goodbye to seafood completely, these 4 types can be eaten with confidence!

Author: Xue Qingxin, registered dietitian

Reviewer: Zhang Yu, researcher at Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Seafood is delicious and is a delicacy that most people like to eat. However, for people with hyperuricemia and gout, they dare not enjoy it casually.

Gout is caused by excessive uric acid in the body that forms uric acid stones. Once you are "destroyed" by gout, the feeling of having to watch delicious seafood but not being able to eat it is really terrible.

According to the latest statistics, patients with hyperuricemia in my country account for 13.3% of the total population, while the prevalence of gout is 1% to 3%, and is increasing year by year. The number of patients is relatively large, and they are gradually becoming younger [1].

For people with gout, it is important to avoid high-purine foods. During the acute attack and remission period of gout, it is recommended to choose low-purine foods with a purine content of less than 30 mg/100 g [2].

However, most delicious seafood has a high purine content. Does it mean that you have to say goodbye to seafood if you have gout? Don’t worry, there are still 4 kinds of seafood that you can eat!

Figure 1 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Jellyfish

The purine content of jellyfish silk is very low, with a total purine content of only 9 mg/100 g[3]. It is a low-purine food and can be eaten safely by patients with hyperuricemia and gout.

And because jellyfish is low in fat and cholesterol, even people with obesity and dyslipidemia can eat it.

In addition, the calcium content of jellyfish is quite high. Jellyfish shreds are made by cutting jellyfish skin into shreds, and their calcium content is 150mg/100g[3], which is relatively high among aquatic products. If you eat 100g of cold jellyfish shreds, it can meet about 19% of the daily calcium requirement.

Figure 2 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Sea Cucumber

As a kind of "mountain and sea delicacies", sea cucumbers have always been favored by many people, who believe that eating them can nourish the body. Although sea cucumbers are also a kind of seafood, their purine content is very low, with fresh sea cucumbers containing 8mg/100g and dried sea cucumbers (after soaking) containing 18mg/100g[3]. Even gout patients can eat them in moderation.

In terms of nutritional content, sea cucumbers have low cholesterol content and relatively high protein content. The protein content of fresh sea cucumbers is 16.5g/100g[3], and the protein content of dried sea cucumbers can reach more than 80%[4]. However, it should be noted that although the protein content of sea cucumbers is high, it is mainly collagen, and the essential amino acids required by the human body account for a low proportion, only 22.9% to 26.5%[5], and the available value is not high. Overall, the nutritional value of sea cucumber protein is not as good as the high-quality protein-rich foods we usually eat, such as eggs, yellow croaker, and lean meat. However, the calcium content of sea cucumbers is 285mg/100g[3]. Eating 100g of fresh sea cucumbers can meet 36% of the daily calcium requirement of an average adult. In addition, some studies have mentioned that sea cucumber polysaccharides in sea cucumbers have the effects of protecting nerves, anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, and regulating immunity; sea cucumber saponins have the effects of lowering blood lipids, analgesia, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer; sea cucumber polypeptides have the effects of inhibiting inflammatory reactions, promoting wound healing, and preventing diabetes[5].

However, the efficacy of various components of sea cucumbers mentioned in the study are mostly based on in vitro studies and animal experiments, and whether the same effect can be achieved in humans remains to be confirmed.

Sea cucumber is also a common food. If you like to eat it, just treat it normally and don’t have too high expectations of its “health benefits”.

Figure 3 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

abalone

There are three types of abalone available on the market: fresh abalone, ready-to-eat abalone, and dried abalone. The purine content of the first two is 102 mg/100 g and 110 mg/100 g respectively, which are not low-purine, so gout patients should limit their consumption. However, after the dried abalone is soaked, the purine content is only 9 mg/100 g[3]. Therefore, gout patients can choose to soak the dried abalone before cooking.

Abalone has delicious taste and tough meat. Its protein content is 15.8mg/100g, which is higher than that of sea cucumber. However, it is also collagen and its absorption rate by the human body is poor.

In addition, the cholesterol content of abalone is also relatively high, at 242mg/100g, nearly five times that of sea cucumber. People with dyslipidemia are advised to eat less or no abalone.

Figure 4 Copyright image, no permission to reprint

whitebait

The purine content of whitebait is relatively low, at 23 mg/100 g[3]. It is suitable for people with high uric acid levels and gout.

The protein content of whitebait is high, at 17.2mg/100g. However, the cholesterol content of whitebait is higher than that of abalone, at 361mg/100g. Although gout patients can eat it, if they do not want to consume too much cholesterol, they should eat less or try not to eat it.

Gout patients do not need to say goodbye to all seafood. Four low-purine seafood products, including jellyfish, sea cucumber, abalone and whitebait, can be eaten in moderation. However, people with dyslipidemia-related diseases should eat less abalone and whitebait.

References:

[1] Chinese Medical Association, Chinese Medical Association Press, Chinese Society of General Practice, et al. Primary care diagnosis and treatment guidelines for gout and hyperuricemia (2019)[J]. Chinese Journal of General Practitioners, 2020, 19(4): 293-303.

[2] Yang Yuexin, Ge Keyou. Chinese Nutrition Science Encyclopedia 2nd Edition (Volume 2)[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2019.

[3] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 2[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018.

[4] Zhao Ling, Ma Hongwei, Cao Rong, et al. Analysis of nutritional components of 10 sea cucumbers[J]. Journal of Food Safety and Quality, 2016, 7(7): 2867-2872.

[5] Yang Lintong, Huang Dong, Zhou Jianhua, et al. Research progress on the nutritional value and main functional components of sea cucumbers[J]. Food Science and Technology, 2022, 47(2):168-172.