How much Sardine can I eat with gout?

A typical serving is about 113 g, which delivers 238 mg of purines, or about 60% of a ~400 mg working daily target. Keep it to a small, occasional portion and avoid it during a flare.

Is Sardine high in purines?

Sardine is high in purines by weight: about 211 mg per 100 g. A typical 113 g serving works out to about 238 mg, or about 60% of a ~400 mg working daily target.

Does Sardine cause gout?

No single food causes gout; it develops from high uric acid over time. But Sardine 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.

Sardine

Also listed as: Sardine, raw

Sardine is higher risk. Keep portions small and occasional, especially during a flare. A typical 113 g serving has about 238 mg of purines, about 60% of a ~400 mg working daily target.

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

This is the most common form of sardine. Other forms run higher, up to grade E (Avoid, about 451 mg per serving), such as Canned Sardines. If you mean a specific form, check it below.

How much can I eat?

Units

A typical serving is about 113 g, which delivers 238 mg of purines, or about 60% of a ~400 mg working daily target.

This serving

4 oz

113 g

Purine / serving

238 mg

% daily purine

60%

Purines in this serving238 mg · 60% of a day

0 mg~400 mg daily limit

Adjust the serving

1 oz7 oz

You could have up to about 3 oz (95 g) before this reaches half a ~400 mg working daily purine target.

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

Higher risk. Keep portions small and occasional, especially during a flare.

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. Sardine is still graded D on purine, so keep the portion small and occasional.

Per 100 g (for comparison)

Purines Moderate confidence

211 mg/100g

LowModerateHighVery high

High for gout (150–300 mg/100g).

Fructose High confidence

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.

Eating sardine as part of a bigger dish? The Dish Decoder grades the whole plate, ingredient by ingredient.

Grade a dish or browse every food rating

Good to know: Reconciled to the USDA Release 2.0 International value (210.7 mg/100g); the North-American 345 figure sits above the database's stated seafood range and reports implausibly low hypoxanthine.

Sources

1. Purine data: USDA Purine Database 2025 - Table 2 (International) Evidence tier: Peer-reviewed literature Replication: sample count not recorded International literature sources
2. Fructose data: 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.

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. Last reviewed July 18, 2026.

How we grade foods

Grades combine purine and fructose data with known gout triggers and benefits. We show our confidence on every food.

Make it safer

Reaching for Sardine? These lower-risk picks scratch the same itch and grade better.

Engawa (fish-fin meat)

Engawa (flesh of fish fins)

Purine 19 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Enjoy Fish

Fish Roe

Roe, mixed species, raw

Purine 80.8 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Enjoy Fish serving 20 g

Monkfish

Monkfish, raw

Purine 70.1 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Safe Fish

Other forms of sardine

This is the most common form of "sardine". Pick a specific form below if you mean one in particular.

Fermented Sardine (Heshiko)

Purine 116.3 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Moderate Fish

Sardine (baby, dried)

Purine 746 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Limit Fish serving 20 g

Canned Sardines

Sardine, canned

Purine 399 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Avoid Fish

Sardine (half-dried)

Purine 305.3 mg Fructose 0 g per 100 g

Avoid Fish

Sardine

How much can I eat?

Why grade D

Make it safer

Engawa (fish-fin meat)

Fish Roe

Monkfish

Other forms of sardine

Fermented Sardine (Heshiko)

Sardine (baby, dried)

Canned Sardines

Sardine (half-dried)

More from Fish

Engawa (fish-fin meat)

Fish Roe

Roe (flying fish, in soy sauce)

Monkfish

Arabesque Greenling

Ayu