Beef vs pork: calories compared

With lean cuts, the two are close. Per 4 oz (113 g), this sirloin has about 35 g of protein and 93 mg of cholesterol, the pork loin 32 g and 92 mg. The World Health Organization counts both as red meat.

In US survey data, pork averages about 0.6 mg of thiamin, a B vitamin, per 3.5 oz (100 g), nine times beef, and NIH names pork a major US source. The beef has more iron, 2.2 mg against 1.2 mg per 4 oz, yet in 52 young women with low iron stores, an iron supplement rebuilt stores just as well with a plant-based burger as with beef.

The bigger split is fresh versus processed meat. WHO's cancer agency puts processed meat in its top certainty group. In cohorts of nearly 2 million adults, each 3.5 oz (100 g) a day of unprocessed red meat was linked with 10% more type 2 diabetes, and each 1.8 oz (50 g) of processed meat with 15% more. In trials, replacing red meat with plant protein lowered LDL cholesterol more, on low-certainty evidence.

Cook whole cuts of either to 145 °F (63 °C) with a 3-minute rest, and hamburgers to 160 °F (71 °C). Take most care for people 65 and older, children under 5, pregnant women and people with weak immunity.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level E The WHO counts pork as red meat alongside beef, veal, lamb, mutton, horse and goat. World Health Organization, Cancer: Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat, Q&A
2. Level E In US survey data pork carries about 0.6 mg thiamin per 3.5 oz (100 g), nine times beef at 0.067 mg. USDA FNDDS, FoodData Central survey release 2024-10-31
3. Level E According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, cereals and bread are the most common US sources of thiamin and pork is another major source. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Thiamin Fact Sheet for Health Professionals
4. Level B In 52 iron-deficient women, taking 32 mg iron daily with 113 g beef raised ferritin no more over 8 weeks than with a plant-based burger. Am J Clin Nutr, 2025
5. Level B Beef did no better than a plant-based burger at helping an iron supplement rebuild iron stores. Am J Clin Nutr, 2025
6. Level E The cancer agency of the World Health Organization puts processed meat in its top certainty group and red meat one step below. IARC press release 240, IARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat, 26 October 2015
7. Level C Across 31 cohorts with 1.97 million adults, each 100 g a day of unprocessed red meat was linked with 10% higher type 2 diabetes incidence. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol, 2024
8. Level A Across 36 RCTs, replacing red meat with plant protein lowered LDL cholesterol by 0.19 more than red meat diets. Clin Nutr, 2025
9. Level E USDA FSIS sets 145 °F (63 °C) plus a three-minute rest for raw beef and pork steaks, chops and roasts, and 160 °F (71 °C) for hamburger, measured with a food thermometer, since ground beef can brown before it is safe. USDA FSIS, Doneness Versus Safety
10. Level E For anyone serving beef and pork, CDC names people 65 and older, children under 5, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women as the groups at higher risk of food poisoning, and children under 5 are three times more likely to be hospitalized if they get a Salmonella infection. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, People at Increased Risk for Food Poisoning (2025)
11. Level A Swapping beef for plant protein lowered cholesterol, and swapping it for another animal protein changed nothing. Clin Nutr, 2025
12. Level C Pooled cohorts put beef eaters at about a third higher colorectal cancer risk, and the estimate shrank when studies accounted for exercise. J Gastrointest Cancer, 2025
13. Level C Pork was tied to a sixth more colorectal cancer, yet neither colon nor rectal cancer on its own reached significance. J Gastrointest Cancer, 2025
14. Level C When unprocessed red meat was separated out, it showed no significant link to any outcome the review checked. Front Public Health, 2026
15. Level B Meat fried at 250 degrees made urine and stool mutagenic. The same meat cooked at 100 degrees did not. PLoS One, 2011

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Beef and pork: the same red meat, different numbers
• Beef: who paid for the study predicts what it found
• Pork: processed or not, and how hot the pan was

Rankings and guides

• Calories: what it does and what the evidence shows
• Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?
• Dietary fat: what it does and how much you need

More comparisons

• Beef vs chicken

• Beef: USDA FoodData Central, Beef, top sirloin, steak, separable lean only, trimmed to 0" fat, all grades, cooked, broiled, FDC ID 168634 · all forms of beef
• Pork: USDA FoodData Central, Pork, fresh, loin, whole, separable lean only, cooked, roasted, FDC ID 168233 · all forms of pork

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.