Seafood
Soft shell crab
USDA description: Crab, soft shell
How soft shell crab scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.
Food Index score
Soft shell crabCaution
| Starting score | 100 |
| Purine Load | -31.8 |
| Category: Shellfish | -15 |
| Sodium | -7.3 |
| Calorie Density | -4.2 |
| Saturated Fat | -2.7 |
| Nutrient Gaps | -2 |
| 6 smaller factors | +1.8 |
| Final score | 39 |
Soft shell crab scores 39 out of 100 and sits in the caution band. Ranks toward the higher-risk end. Many people choose to keep portions smaller and less frequent.
Penalties took 64 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 2.8 back. Every factor is listed in full below.
Scores run 0–100, where higher means more gout-friendly on average. They reflect relative ranking across foods, not a personal risk level. The same food can suit one person and not another, so use the score as a starting point for a conversation with your clinician.
The underlying data
Nutrition and portions
Nutrition Facts
- Total Fat12.7 g
- Saturated Fat1.8 g
- Sodium643 mg
- Dietary Fiber0.50 g
- Total Sugars0.20 g
- Protein15.5 g
- Calcium84 mg
- Iron1.3 mg
- Magnesium32 mg
- Vitamin C2 mg
- Folate53 ug
- Water57.7 g
- Alcohol0 g
- Omega-3 EPA0.08 g
- Omega-3 DHA0.05 g
Common portions
- 1 crabtypical65 g
- Quantity not specified65 g
Where the purine figure comes from
No direct purine measurement has been published for this food, so the score uses the measured median for its category (shellfish).
We rate this a good confidence estimate.
How purines affect the score →Nutrition values from the USDA FoodData Central database.
Scoring rationale
Every factor, in full
Each row shows the points a factor moved, what drove it, and the studies behind its weight.
- -31.8Flare risk
Purine LoadFlare risk
175 mg of purines per 100 g, weighted 1.25x as a seafood source and 1.0x for the typical portion: 219 mg effective.
Evidence: Choi HK 2004, N Engl J Med · Kaneko K 2014, Biol Pharm Bull · Zhang Y 2012, Ann Rheum Dis
- -15Flare risk
Category: ShellfishFlare risk
High purine seafood with RR 1.51 (Choi 2004); worse than finfish.
Evidence: Choi HK 2004, N Engl J Med · Choi HK 2008, BMJ · Zhang Y 2006, Am J Med
- -7.3Long-term
SodiumLong-term
643 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: FitzGerald JD 2020, Arthritis Care Res
- -4.2Long-term
Calorie DensityLong-term
227 kcal per 100 g, above the 80 kcal energy-density threshold.
Evidence: Aune D 2014, Eur J Nutr
- -2.7Long-term
Saturated FatLong-term
1.82 g of saturated fat per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Yokose C 2021, Curr Opin Rheumatol
- -2Long-term
Nutrient GapsLong-term
Provides meaningful amounts of only 4 of the 5 protective nutrient groups (vitamin C, fiber, omega-3, magnesium and folate).
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Zhang M 2019, Arthritis Rheumatol
- -1Long-term
Heme IronLong-term
1.27 mg of iron per 100 g, of which about 40% is heme iron in seafood foods, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Li R 2018, Asia Pac J Clin Nutr
- +1Flare risk
Omega-3 (EPA+DHA)Flare risk
0.130 g of EPA and DHA omega-3 per 100 g, with no portion adjustment. Omega-3 is linked to fewer recurrent flares.
Evidence: Zhang M 2019, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +0.8Long-term
MagnesiumLong-term
32 mg of magnesium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
- +0.5Long-term
FolateLong-term
53 µg of folate per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Lyu LC 2017, Am J Clin Nutr
- +0.3Long-term
FiberLong-term
0.5 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +0.2Long-term
Vitamin CLong-term
2 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, with no portion adjustment. Vitamin C helps the kidneys excrete urate.
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2011, Arthritis Care Res
Common questions
About soft shell crab
Look up any food's Food Index score
Each score lists the factors that moved it, the portion it assumes, and the studies behind each factor's weight.