Pork is rich in protein and a source of numerous vitamins and minerals. However, avoid raw or undercooked pork, as it may contain parasites.
Pork is a popular meat, especially in eastern Asia, making up approximately 30% of all meat consumed worldwide.
Lean, unprocessed pork can be an excellent addition to a healthy diet because it is high in protein and rich in many vitamins and minerals. However, frequent consumption of processed pork products, such as ham, bacon, and sausage, can increase your risk of heart disease and cancer.
This article reviews the nutritional properties of pork along with its potential health benefits, downsides, and cooking precautions.
High quality protein is the main nutritional component of pork, but it’s also a rich source of numerous vitamins and minerals.
Nutrients
According to the
- calories: 242 kcals
- protein: 27.3 g
- carbs: 0 g
- sugar: 0 g
- total lipids (fat): 13.9 g
Protein
Protein is the main nutritional component of pork. Pork also contains all nine essential amino acids necessary for your body’s growth and maintenance.
Protein consumption is essential for everyone, but certain people may need higher amounts, including bodybuilders, athletes, older adults, and people recovering from surgery or wounds.
The following table lists different types of pork and their estimated protein amounts:
| Type of pork | Total weight | Protein amount |
|---|---|---|
| 100 grams (g) or 3.5 ounces (oz) | 19 g | |
| 100 g (3.5 oz) | 23 g | |
| 100 g (3.5 oz) | 27 g | |
| 100 g (3.5 oz) | 27 g |
Vitamins and minerals
In addition to protein, pork is a rich source of many vitamins and minerals, including:
- Thiamine: Unlike other types of red meat, such as beef and lamb, pork is particularly rich in
thiamine — one of the B vitamins that play an essential role in various bodily functions. - Selenium: Pork is rich in
selenium . Many of the best sources of this essential mineral are animal-derived foods, such as meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy products. - Zinc: An important mineral abundant in pork,
zinc is essential for a healthy brain and immune system. - Vitamin B12: Almost exclusively found in foods of animal origin, vitamin B12 is important for blood formation and brain function.
- Vitamin B6: A group of several related vitamins, vitamin B6 is important for the formation of red blood cells.
- Niacin: One of the B vitamins, niacin — or vitamin B3 — serves a variety of functions in your body and is important for growth and metabolism.
- Phosphorus: Abundant and common in most foods, phosphorus is usually a large component of people’s diets. It’s essential for body growth and maintenance.
Pork also contains good amounts of many other vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium and potassium.
Fat content
The fat content of pork varies depending on how much fat is trimmed before cooking and other factors, such as whether it’s processed or unprocessed.
Pork is mainly composed of saturated fats and unsaturated fats — present in approximately equal amounts. An 85-g (3-oz) serving of cooked, 84% lean ground pork
- total fat: 20 g
- saturated fat: 6.6 g
In comparison to pork, the fat content of 100 g (3.5 oz) of 85% lean ground beef
- total fat: 14 g
- saturated fat: 5.3 g
Pork is an excellent source of high quality protein, and eating protein has numerous benefits, including:
- Reduces appetite and hunger levels: A 2020 review of studies found that protein reduced levels of ghrelin, also known as the “hunger” hormone. Protein also increases levels of cholecystokinin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), two hormones responsible for signaling fullness.
- Increases muscle mass and strength: A
2022 literature review found that increasing daily protein consumption contributes to gaining lean body mass, muscle strength, and physical/functional test performance in healthy adults who also engaged in resistance training. - Improves bone density: A 2022 research review in 1,570 participants ages 68 to 75 years found that higher protein consumption was linked with higher bone density.
- Boosts metabolism: A 2020 research review explains that high protein consumption can boost diet-induced thermogenesis, which is the number of calories the body burns while breaking down food. Protein consumption may also contribute to a higher sleeping metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn while sleeping).
- Helps repair injured tissue and organs: A
2021 research review notes that protein plays a key role in the growth, renewal, and healing process of your cells.
Pork also contains several bioactive meat compounds, such as creatine, taurine, and glutathione, that may benefit health in various ways. These compounds include:
- Creatine: Abundant in meat, creatine functions as an energy source for your muscles.
- Taurine: This is an antioxidant amino acid formed by your body. Dietary intake of taurine, found in fish and meat, may be beneficial for the heart and for
muscle function . - Glutathione: This is an antioxidant present in high amounts in meat, but your body also produces it. Glutathione can
protect cells against free radicals and pro-oxidants.
Frequent, high consumption of red meats, such as pork, beef, and lamb, and especially processed meats, may increase your risk for heart disease and cancer.
Pork and heart disease
Moderate consumption of lean, unprocessed pork as a part of a healthy diet is unlikely to increase your risk of heart disease.
However, high consumption of unprocessed red meats (such as pork, beef, and lamb) and processed pork products, such as bacon, hot dogs, and sausage, have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease.
A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 studies involving over 1.4 million people whose health was tracked for up to 30 years found that:
- Higher consumption of processed meat (bacon, ham, and sausages) increased the risk of coronary heart disease by 18%.
- Higher consumption of unprocessed red meat (such as beef, lamb, and pork) increased the risk of coronary heart disease by 9%.
- There was no clear link between eating poultry (such as chicken and turkey) and an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Researchers theorized that these findings may be due to the high content of saturated fat in red meat and salt in processed meat. High consumption of saturated fat increases levels of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, while excess salt consumption raises blood pressure.
Both LDL cholesterol and high blood pressure are well-established risk factors for coronary heart disease.
Pork and cancer
According to the Cancer Council of New South Wales (Cancer Council NSW), eating more than 700 g (24 oz) of red meat (which includes pork) per week increases your risk of bowel cancer.
Red meat, such as beef, lamb, and pork, has been classified as a
The
To reduce your risk of cancer, the Cancer Council NSW recommends eating no more than 1 serving of lean pork (or other lean red meat) per day, or 2 servings three to four times a week. The Cancer Council NSW also advises cutting out processed meats — such as bacon, ham, and sausage — altogether or only consuming them on rare occasions.
It’s important to avoid eating raw or rare (undercooked) pork. That’s because raw pork may contain several types of parasites that can infect humans.
Parasites that may be found in raw or undercooked pork include:
- Pork tapeworm: The pork tapeworm (Taenia solium) is an intestinal parasite. People can pick up a tapeworm by eating raw or undercooked pork. It may occasionally lead to a disease known as cysticercosis.
- Parasitic roundworms: Trichinella is a family of parasitic roundworms that cause a disease known as trichinosis or trichinellosis. Eating raw or undercooked (rare) pork may increase your risk.
- Toxoplasmosis: Toxoplasma gondii is the scientific name of a parasitic protozoan — a single-cell animal only visible in a microscope. A common cause of infection is the consumption of raw or undercooked pork.
Due to possible contamination with parasites, only eat pork when it’s cooked all the way through.
Cooking tips to keep you safe
To kill potential parasitic larvae, experts recommend cooking pork chops, steaks, and loins until the internal temperature reaches 145°F (63°C).
For ground pork, organ meats, or ground meat mixes, cook until the meat reaches at least 160°F (71°C).
Pork is one of the world’s most popular meats. It’s a rich source of protein and various vitamins and minerals.
However, it’s important to avoid undercooked and overcooked pork, as it may harbor parasites. In addition, processed pork products (such as ham, bacon, and sausage) contain unhealthy amounts of saturated fats and salt, which may increase your risk of heart disease and cancer.
Moderate consumption of properly prepared, unprocessed lean pork can be part of a healthy diet.