Location: Methods and Application of Food Composition Laboratory
Project Number: 8040-10700-004-036-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2024
End Date: May 29, 2027
Objective:
The currently available data on the content of purines and related compounds in U.S. foods and dietary supplements are very limited. With the final product of purine metabolism as uric acid, a nutritional paradox arises: roles in antioxidant activity, immune response, and disease defense but the risk of hyperuricemia (elevated uric acid). Manifestations of severe disease due to elevated uric acid can include cardiovascular and kidney diseases, gout, and certain cancers.
Up-to-date analytical data are needed for a publicly available dataset which can be used for nutritional and epidemiological research and for developing rational dietary guidance pertinent to multiple health conditions. The purpose of this collaboration is to determine and provide data for important contributors of adenine, guanine, xanthine, hypoxanthine to the US diet for inclusion in a Special interest Database and ultimately Foundation Foods in USDA's FoodData Central database.
Approach:
The Methods and Application of Food Composition (MAFCL) plans to obtain purine values in selected food and dietary supplement samples. MAFCL has previously consulted with Dr. Tim Garrett of University of Florida as a collaborator and analyst; he has published scientific information on purine content, consumption, and impact on health outcomes in dolphins, which have applications to human health. Analysis will include quality control materials, in collaboration with MAFCL, Dr. Steve Juraschek, Harvard University, and Virginia Tech University. Foods will be analyzed at UFL. Analytical values from primary and secondary data will be used to generate purine profiles for the Special Interest Database, Foundation Foods in FoodData Central, and for peer-reviewed publications.
