Purine content of Bacon, ham & sausage
across 18 measured preparations · median 129.4 mg · spans low to extremely high
Across the 18 bacon, ham & sausage measurements in this database, purine content runs from 22.7 to 428.8 mg per 100 g, with a median of 129.4 mg — a fairly high-purine food.
Avoid or strictly limit — significant gout flare risk.
On this page (5)
Lower-purine meats
Why the numbers vary
The meats measured here run from 49.9 mg to 252 mg per 100 g, so the category is a poor guide on its own — which specific food, and prepared how, decides almost everything.
Preparation matters more than the food's name. Pork, cured, bacon, cooked measures 428.8 mg, while Fish sausage, processed measures 22.7 mg — a difference of 18.9 times. Drying and grilling remove water and concentrate what is left; boiling can move purines into water that is then poured away.
Every form of bacon, ham & sausage measured (18)
Highest first, each with the preparation that was measured.
| Food as measured | Per 100 g | Level | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork, cured, bacon, cooked | 428.8 mg | Extremely high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Luncheon meat, ham, ready-to-eat | 250.4 mg | Very high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Salami, genoa, pork, beef | 246.2 mg | Very high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Luncheon meat, turkey, ready-to-eat | 235.2 mg | Very high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Salami, dry or hard, pork, beef | 215.1 mg | Very high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Pork sausage, uncured, link/patty, cooked | 213.2 mg | Very high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Pork sausage, uncured, link/patty, raw | 160.1 mg | High | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Pork, cured, bacon, unprepared | 140.7 mg | Fairly high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Prosciutto (Parma ham) | 138.3 mg | Fairly high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Salami | 120.4 mg | Fairly high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Canned ham | 103 mg | Fairly high | NHC 2024 |
| Canned luncheon meat | 94 mg | Fairly high | NHC 2024 |
| Beef sausage | 85 mg | Fairly high | NHC 2024 |
| Ham, pressed and boneless types | 69.4 mg | Fairly low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Pork, bacon, unprepared | 61.8 mg | Fairly low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Luncheon meat (unspecified) | 58.3 mg | Fairly low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Sausage, Vienna type | 45.5 mg | Fairly low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Fish sausage, processed | 22.7 mg | Low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
Questions about bacon, ham & sausage and purines
Is cured meat high in purines?
Median 129.4 mg per 100 g, cured meat falls in the fairly high band (75–150 mg per 100 g) on the six-level scale used across this site. Individual measurements range from 22.7 to 428.8 mg.
How many purines are in a serving of cured meat?
It depends entirely which preparation. Compared at the same 150 g: about 34 mg for fish sausage, processed, about 643 mg for pork, cured, bacon, cooked. That upper figure is a like-for-like comparison rather than a serving — dried and concentrated foods are normally used by the spoonful, so their per-100 g value is the fairer read. The table on this page lists both for every preparation measured.
Does cooking change the purine content of cured meat?
Substantially. In this database Pork, cured, bacon, cooked measures 428.8 mg while Fish sausage, processed measures 22.7 mg per 100 g. Drying and grilling concentrate purines by removing water; boiling can leach some into the cooking liquid.
Where does this cured meat purine value come from?
USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025) and Dietary Guideline for Adults with Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2024 Edition). Values are total purines in milligrams per 100 g of the food as described, and nothing is estimated or averaged across sources.
How does cured meat compare with other meats?
The median for meats in this database is 121.2 mg per 100 g, with a range of 49.9 to 252 mg. Bacon, ham & sausage is above that median.
Source
- USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025) — Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Dietary Guideline for Adults with Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2024 Edition) — National Health Commission of China, appendix 1. Issued February 2024.
Reference information only. Purine values describe foods, not people: they cannot tell you what is safe for you to eat, and nothing here diagnoses or treats gout. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about your own diet and medication.