How much Mackerel can I eat with gout?

A typical serving is about 113 g, which delivers 231 mg of purines, or about 58% of a ~400 mg working daily target. Keep it to a small, occasional portion and avoid it during a flare.

Is Mackerel high in purines?

Mackerel is high in purines by weight: about 205 mg per 100 g. A typical 113 g serving works out to about 231 mg, or about 58% of a ~400 mg working daily target.

Does Mackerel cause gout?

No single food causes gout; it develops from high uric acid over time. But Mackerel is graded D, meaning it is high enough in purines to push uric acid up and can help set off a flare in people who are prone to one.

Mackerel

Also listed as: Mackerel, raw (unspecified)

Mackerel is higher risk. Keep portions small and occasional, especially during a flare. A typical 113 g serving has about 231 mg of purines, about 58% of a ~400 mg working daily target.

General information, not a substitute for advice from your doctor or dietitian.

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Across forms of mackerel:CD· 183–278 mg per serving

How much can I eat?

Units

This serving

4 oz

113 g

Purine / serving

231 mg

% daily purine

58%

Purines in this serving

0 mg~400 mg daily limit

Adjust the serving

1 oz7 oz

Up to about 4 oz (100 g) keeps you under half a day's purines.

Portion size is what matters most here, and it’s easy to misjudge by eye. A kitchen scale makes it simple.

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Why grade D

Eating omega-3-rich fatty fish is associated with fewer recurrent gout flares, independent of purine intake; the benefit is from whole fish, not fish-oil supplements.

This benefit does not change the grade. Mackerel is still graded D on purine, so keep the portion small and occasional.

Per 100 g and processing

Per 100 g (for comparison)

Purines

205 mg/100g

LowModerateHighVery high

High for gout (150–300 mg/100g).

Fructose

0 g/100g

LowModerateHighVery high

Low for gout (< 3 g/100g).

Processing: NOVA 1 of 4 (unprocessed or minimally processed). How processing affects the grade.

Diet is part of the picture, not all of it

For most people the body makes the majority of its own uric acid. Food contributes the smaller share. Eating well lowers your risk and helps you feel in control, but for many people diet alone does not bring uric acid down enough to stop flares. Medication often does the heavy lifting. Use these grades to make easier daily choices, and work with your doctor on the full plan.

Sources

1. Purine data: USDA Purine Database 2025 - Table 2 (International) Evidence tier: Peer-reviewed literature Replication: 2 samples International literature sources
2. Fructose (derived): Biochemical Certainty (fructose = 0) Evidence tier: Lab-verified Animal products (meat, seafood, eggs, plain dairy) contain no fructose by biochemical composition.
3. Benefit evidence: Zhang M, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2019;71(9):1580-1586.

How these numbers work

Values are per 100g unless a note says otherwise, rounded to three significant figures. Per-serving figures are calculated from the unrounded measurement, so recomputing from the rounded number can differ by a milligram or so. A single determination is normal in food composition tables, not a defect. The fructose figure is derived, not a label value: it counts free fructose plus half of sucrose, because sucrose is half fructose and the body treats both the same way. A sucrose-sweetened food therefore carries roughly twice this much total sugar.

Last reviewed August 11, 2026.