What’s the Connection Between Shrimp and Arthritis?
Health ConditionsRheumatic ConditionsArthritis

How Does Eating Shrimp Affect Arthritis Symptoms?

How Does Eating Shrimp Affect Arthritis Symptoms?
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Updated on August 6, 2025
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Certain fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, and sardines, have a reputation for anti-inflammatory properties, due to their omega-3 fatty acid content. The Arthritis Foundation recommends omega-3s in both supplement and food form (when available) as a potential dietary approach to reducing arthritis pain and inflammation.

 Shellfish such as shrimp, however, usually do not make that list, offering a lower helping of omega-3 than oily fish such as salmon.

Some types of seafood, including shrimp, may even trigger flares of a form of arthritis called gout, due to their high levels of chemicals called purines. Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in adults, affecting approximately 8.3 million people in the United States alone, or around 3.9 percent of adults.

 It causes flare-ups of sudden, intense pain that often occur at night, along with redness, warmth, stiffness, tenderness (even to slight contact), and occasionally a fever.

 This article explains the link between seafood, purines, and attacks of gout.

Gout and Seafood

Gout occurs when uric acid builds up in the blood. Uric acid crystals form in the joints, resulting in inflammation. Regularly consuming foods and drinks that contain high levels of chemicals called purines can lead to gout, as uric acid is a natural by-product of your body breaking these chemicals down.

The purine-rich foods most likely to trigger a gout attack include the following:

  • Seafood, including shrimp, scallops, mussels, herring, cod, tuna, trout, and haddock

  • Sugary snacks
  • High-fructose corn syrup
  • Alcohol
  • Organ meats, like liver, tripe, and kidneys
  • Game meats, such as veal, venison, or goose
  • Red meat
  • Turkey
  • Yeast and its extracts
You can enjoy shrimp and other seafoods once in a while, but if they are featured regularly on your plate, they risk causing a gout flare-up. On the other hand, cold-water fish offer plentiful heart benefits that may outweigh the risk of a gout attack.

Eating less seafood may mean limiting your intake of omega-3 fatty acids. These are particularly useful in reducing inflammation and joint pain in people living with arthritis, and most people in the United States don’t get enough of them. However, fish oil supplements are safe on a low-purine diet.

 And although you may have to severely limit your shrimp consumption on a low-purine diet, it isn’t as abundant a source of omega-3s as fatty fish like salmon, despite being the most widely consumed type of seafood in the United States.

What to Eat With Gout

Although you’ll have to moderate your intake of high-purine foods like shrimp and other seafood, certain foods can have the opposite effect on uric acid, though they won’t completely cure gout. These include:

  • Skim milk, which speeds up the process of expelling uric acid via the urine, as well as reduces inflammation when uric acid crystals form
  • Cherries, which might also reduce uric acid levels and inflammation, although more research is necessary
  • Coffee, which may slow the breakdown of purines into uric acid and speed up how much uric acid your body expels in urine
  • Around five to eight glasses of water daily, as your kidneys use water to get rid of uric acid in urine
Despite these foods’ potential benefits, healthcare providers recommend focusing on your overall diet rather than specific foods. Mix up your protein sources, don’t shun fruits and vegetables, and tuck into all grains except oats (as they’re safe for people with gout). However, some packaged products contain high-fructose corn syrup, so be vigilant about checking labels.

Even though some fruits and vegetables are higher in purine than others, evidence has not shown that they affect gout symptoms. Plus, they provide valuable health benefits that make including them in your diet vital.

The Takeaway

  • Shrimp and other seafood can be high in purines, potentially triggering flare-ups of gout, the most common form of inflammatory arthritis.
  • Omega-3-rich foods, such as fatty fish, provide heart and anti-inflammatory benefits. However, consider omega-3 supplements if you’re limiting seafood to manage gout.
  • Incorporating foods like cherries, skim milk, and coffee can help reduce uric acid levels and ease inflammation, although further research is needed. They don’t replace treatment.
  • If you experience sudden, intense joint pain that could indicate gout, seek medical evaluation to discuss dietary adjustments and treatment options.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Your Health. Arthritis Foundation. December 8, 2022.
  2. Lavie CJ et al. In Reply — Impact of a High-Shrimp Diet on Cardiovascular Risk. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. February 2021.
  3. Quick Facts: Gout and Chronic Kidney Disease. National Kidney Foundation. 2025.
  4. Gout. Cleveland Clinic. February 19, 2023.
  5. Gout Low Purine Diet. Cleveland Clinic. March 14, 2022.
  6. Which Foods Are Safe for Gout? Arthritis Foundation.
  7. Gout Diet: Dos and Don’ts. Arthritis Foundation.
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Julie Cunningham, MPH, RDN, LDN, CDCES

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Julie Cunningham is a registered dietitian-nutritionist and a certified diabetes care and education specialist.

Cunningham received a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University in North Carolina. She subsequently completed a master's degree in public health nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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