Last reviewed: 2026-09-03 • Editorial Standards

Corn Ranked by Fructose Content

Evidence-based comparison — data from USDA+ODS-NIH PURINE DATABASE Release 2 (March 2025)

Lowest Fructose Corn

#1snacks, corn-based, extruded, chips, plain0.0 g
#2snacks, tortilla chips, plain, white corn, salted0.0 g
#3mush, blue corn with ash (navajo)0.0 g
#4snacks, corn-based, extruded, puffs or twists, cheese-flavor0.0 g
#5acorn stew (apache)0.0 g
#6stew, steamed corn (navajo)0.1 g
#7snacks, tortilla chips, unsalted, white corn0.1 g
#8stew, mutton, corn, squash (navajo)0.2 g
#9corn, dried, yellow (northern plains indians)0.6 g
#10corn, dried (navajo)1.0 g

Highest Fructose Corn

#13snacks, tortilla chips, plain, white corn, salted0.0 g
#12snacks, corn-based, extruded, chips, plain0.0 g
#11snacks, tortilla chips, unsalted, white corn0.1 g
#10stew, steamed corn (navajo)0.1 g
#9stew, mutton, corn, squash (navajo)0.2 g
#8corn, dried, yellow (northern plains indians)0.6 g
#7corn, white, steamed (navajo)1.0 g
#6corn, dried (navajo)1.0 g
#5corn, sweet, yellow and white kernels, husked, kernels cut off, raw1.1 g
#4corn, sweet, yellow and white kernels, fresh, raw1.6 g

Category Average: 0.4 g/100g

The average across 13 Corn foods with lab-measured data. Foods below this average are better-than-typical choices within this category.

How to Use This Ranking

The purine ranking is sorted from lowest to highest. Rank #1 is the lowest-purine food in the category. Foods in the top half (above median) should be consumed with more awareness of portion and frequency. The difference between adjacent ranks varies: in some categories, rank #5 and #10 might be only 10 mg apart; in others, the gap can be 100+ mg. Always check the actual milligram value, not just the position. Rankings do not account for fructose or alcohol — use individual food pages for a complete risk assessment.

ACR 2020 Guideline Context

The American College of Rheumatology recommends that gout patients focus on purine awareness rather than complete food group elimination. Within any category, there is a wide purine range. The goal is to shift toward lower-purine choices within categories you already eat, rather than eliminating entire food groups. This ranking helps you identify which specific items to prioritize and which to limit.

Japanese guidelines recommend under 400 mg of total dietary purines per day. Using this ranking, you can estimate how much of budget each food uses per typical serving.

How This Comparison Is Built

Each item here is scored by a three-factor risk engine covering purines, fructose, and alcohol. Purine values draw on the USDA+ODS-NIH PURINE DATABASE Release 2 (March 2025) and Kaneko et al. (Biol Pharm Bull 37(5):709-721, 2014, PMID: 24553148); fructose comes from USDA SR28 tables. Classification uses ACR 2020 thresholds — Safe under 50 mg purine and 2 g fructose with no alcohol, Moderate in between, Avoid above, or when alcohol is present. Each food page labels its data quality as T1 (lab-measured), T2 (measured plus consensus), or T3 (category estimate).

This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Individual tolerance to purines and fructose varies. Consult a healthcare professional for personalized dietary guidance. Last reviewed: 2026-09-03.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is corn good for gout?
Corn is low in purines, so it does not raise uric acid through purines. The gout-relevant variable is fructose, and among 13 corn products with measured values, the lowest-fructose options include snacks, corn-based, extruded, chips, plain at 0.0 g/100g and snacks, tortilla chips, plain, white corn, salted at 0.0 g/100g. Whole corn is a reasonable starch choice for gout.
Is sweet corn higher in sugar than field corn?
Sweet corn has more natural sugar than field corn, so it runs higher in fructose. The differences are modest for a vegetable, but the pattern is consistent — sweet corn and corn syrup concentrate the sugar, while plain field corn and unsweetened corn products run lower.
Is corn syrup bad for gout?
Corn syrup is different from whole corn — it is a concentrated fructose source, and fructose raises uric acid independently of purines. Whole corn is fine for gout in normal portions; corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup are the forms to limit, because they are sugar rather than a vegetable.