Measurement of Purine Contents in Korean Alcoholic Beverages

Objective Gout is one of the most common forms of inflammatory arthritides among men, which is caused primarily by chronic hyperuricemia. Although pharmacological therapy is the mainstay treatment to manage gout, limiting the consumption of dietary purine is also important. Several epidemiological studies have reported that alcohol consumption is closely related to hyperuricemia and gout. The objective of this study was to determine the purine content in common Korean alcoholic beverages using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to provide a dietary guideline for those with hyperuricemia or gout. Methods Thirty-five alcoholic beverages were analyzed. Blindly labeled samples of each alcoholic beverage were degassed and frozen. The sample preparation prior to HPLC followed the methods of Japanese researchers. HPLC was performed to analyze adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, and xanthine content in the alcoholic beverages. Results The standard curves were linear for all purines. Purine contents were as follows: beer (42.26~146.39 μmol/L, n=12), medicinal wine (8.2 and 40.41 μmol/L, n=2), rice wine (13.19 μmol/L), Makgeolri (11.71 and 24.72 μmol/L, n=2), red wine (0, 6.03, and 17.9 μmol/L, n=3). No purines were found in fruit wine (n=2), Kaoliang (n=1), white wine (n=1), or distilled alcoholic beverages, such as soju (n=10) or whiskey (n=1). Conclusion Among popular Korean alcoholic beverages, beer contained a considerable amount of purines, whereas distilled alcoholic beverages did not. Patients with either gout or hyperuricemia should avoid alcoholic beverages, especially those containing large amounts of purines.