Lamb vs pork: calories compared

WHO counts both as red meat, rated probably carcinogenic (Group 2A). In a 2025 pooled analysis of observational studies, lamb was weakly tied to 11% more colorectal cancer, from only 6 studies, and pork to 17% more across 16 studies. These links do not rank the two.

WHO's cancer agency puts processed meat in Group 1 and estimates each 1.8 oz (50 g) a day raises colorectal cancer risk by 18%. An umbrella review linked unprocessed red meat to no outcome it checked, while processed red meat tracked with type 2 diabetes, colorectal and stomach cancer and cardiovascular death.

Across 36 trials, replacing red meat with plant protein lowered total cholesterol more, on very low to low certainty evidence.

In 276 retail meats from Mexico, Toxoplasma DNA was found in 28.0% of pork and 1.4% of lamb. CDC names undercooked pork and lamb as routes of infection, and a new infection during or just before pregnancy can harm the unborn child. Cook chops and roasts to 145 °F (63 °C) with a 3-minute rest, and uncooked sausages of ground pork or lamb to 160 °F (71 °C). CDC's pregnancy advice puts ground meats such as pork at 160 °F. Alpha-gal allergy can bring reactions to both, anaphylaxis included, one to several hours after eating.

Choose either fresh rather than processed, cooked to temperature.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level E WHO places red meat, which by its own definition includes lamb, in IARC Group 2A, probably carcinogenic to humans. WHO, Cancer: Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat
2. Level C Lamb was tied to an 11% higher colorectal cancer risk (RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.21) in a 2025 meta-analysis, and only 6 of its 27 studies measured lamb at all. J Gastrointest Cancer, 2025
3. 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
4. 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
5. Level C When unprocessed red meat was separated out, it showed no significant link to any outcome the review checked. Front Public Health, 2026
6. Level A Whether red meat looks bad for cholesterol depends entirely on what it is being compared with. Clin Nutr, 2025
7. Level C Toxoplasma gondii DNA was found in 1.4% of retail lamb samples against 28.0% of pork in a survey of 276 meats in southern Mexico. Acta Parasitol, 2026
8. Level E CDC names eating contaminated undercooked meat, with lamb as one of its examples, as a way Toxoplasma spreads. A woman newly infected during or just before pregnancy can pass the parasite to her unborn child, who can have severe health issues even if she has no symptoms. US CDC, Toxoplasmosis: Causes and How It Spreads
9. Level E USDA FSIS advises cooking raw lamb steaks, chops and roasts to at least 145 °F (63 °C) and letting the meat rest for at least three minutes before carving or eating. USDA FSIS, Doneness Versus Safety
10. Level E USDA FSIS advises cooking raw pork steaks, chops and roasts to at least 145 °F (63 °C) and letting the meat rest for at least three minutes before carving or eating. USDA FSIS, Doneness Versus Safety
11. Level E USDA FSIS advises cooking uncooked sausages made with ground pork, beef, lamb or veal to 160 °F (71 °C), and those made with ground turkey or chicken to 165 °F (74 °C). USDA FSIS, Sausages and Food Safety
12. Level E A US gastroenterology practice update warns that the same allergy can cause anaphylaxis one to several hours after mammalian meat, which is why it is missed. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2023
13. Level D In tick-bite alpha-gal allergy the delayed anaphylaxis is to mammalian meat, and the diagnosis rests on IgE to beef, pork, lamb and milk together with no IgE to chicken, turkey and fish. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract, 2014
14. Level E CDC lists raw or undercooked meat as a riskier choice in pregnancy and advises cooking ground beef to 160°F, which steak tartare by definition is not. CDC, Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women, updated 31 Jan 2025

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

• Lamb: how the animal was fed shows up in your blood
• 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

• Lamb vs beef
• Lamb vs chicken
• Lamb vs goat
• Lamb vs mutton
• Pork vs beef
• Pork vs chicken

• Lamb: USDA FoodData Central, Lamb, ground, cooked, broiled, FDC ID 172544 · all forms of lamb
• 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, and the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.