What does a score of 93 mean?

93 out of 100 places water in the "excellent" band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients. Scores rank foods against each other on average across a population. They are not a personal risk level.

What portion is the score based on?

Nutrition figures are given per 100 g, and the scoring applies a serving-size adjustment based on this food's typical portion: 1 cup (240 g). Eating substantially more or less than that shifts the real-world effect accordingly.

How confident is this score?

Based on the measured median for this food category. Because the purine figure is estimated rather than directly measured, read this score as approximate.

Can I eat water if I have gout?

That is a question for you and your clinician. This page ranks foods on published population-average evidence; it does not account for your urate level, kidney function, medications or overall eating pattern.

Beverage

Water

USDA description: Water, NFS

How water scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.

Food Index score

WaterExcellent

0100

Based on a well-supported purine estimate

What moved this score
Starting score	100
Nutrient Gaps	-10
Hydration	+3
Sodium	-0.1
Magnesium	+0.1
Final score	93

Flare risk (acute)100

Long-term (chronic)90

Water scores 93 out of 100 and sits in the excellent band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients.

Penalties took 10.1 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 3.1 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.

Compare with another foodMore tap water How scoring works

The underlying data

Nutrition and portions

Nutrition Facts

Amounts per 100 g

Typical serving240 g

Calories0

Total Fat0 g
Saturated Fat0 g
Sodium3 mg
Dietary Fiber0 g
Total Sugars0 g
Protein0 g

Calcium6 mg
Iron0 mg
Magnesium2 mg
Vitamin C0 mg
Folate0 ug

Water99.9 g
Alcohol0 g
Omega-3 EPA0 g
Omega-3 DHA0 g

Common portions

1 cuptypical240 g
1 fl oz30 g
Quantity not specified360 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 (tap water).

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.

PointsFactorAffects

-10
Nutrient GapsLong-term
Provides meaningful amounts of only 0 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
Long-term
+3
HydrationFlare risk
99.94 g of water per 100 g. Staying hydrated helps the kidneys clear urate.
Evidence: Neogi T 2014, Am J Epidemiol
Flare risk
-0.1
SodiumLong-term
3 mg of sodium per 100 g, scaled 2.4x for the typical portion.
Evidence: FitzGerald JD 2020, Arthritis Care Res
Long-term
+0.1
MagnesiumLong-term
2 mg of magnesium per 100 g, scaled 2.4x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
Long-term

Keep looking

Similar foods in tap water

Water, tap

Tap water · Excellent

Common questions

About water

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Each score lists the factors that moved it, the portion it assumes, and the studies behind each factor's weight.

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