Elk: lean meat, untested antler and a prion question

The best tested part of the elk is the antler, and it does not deliver. A systematic review of 7 randomized trials of deer and elk velvet antler supplements found 2 with some positive effect, neither convincing, and 5 with no effect, without a pooled estimate. In a randomized trial on 46 rowers in training, 10 weeks of elk velvet antler did not significantly change hormones or rowing performance compared with placebo. Both are about a supplement. We found no human study of elk meat on any health outcome. What USDA shows is that the meat is lean: raw elk has 111 calories, 23 g protein and 1.5 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), from a single record with the cut unspecified. Ground elk is less predictable, at 1.8 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) in a free-range record and 8.8 g in a commercial one, two records from two different sources.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Raw elk meat in the USDA reference record has 111 calories, 23 g protein and 1.5 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g). — — Evidence E source
  Per 100 g raw: 111 calories, protein 22.95 g, fat 1.45 g, cholesterol 55 mg, iron 2.76 mg, zinc 2.4 mg
• Ground elk ranges from 1.8 g to 8.8 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) raw across two USDA records, so ground elk is not always as lean as whole cuts. — — Evidence E source
  Raw ground: 8.82 g fat, 172 calories (FDC 174425) vs 1.8 g fat, 97 calories (FDC 168056, free range, Shoshone Bannock)

What a real portion looks like

• A 3 oz (85 g) serving of broiled lean elk round gives about 133 calories and 26 g protein. — — Evidence E source
  85 g x per-100 g values (156 calories, 30.94 g protein, 2.64 g fat): about 133 calories, 26.3 g protein, 2.2 g fat

What your body absorbs

• In a feeding trial in 8 cats, nitrogen from a raw elk-based diet was about 97% digestible, the only digestibility data on elk found. — 8 adult female domestic cats, crossover of raw beef, bison, elk and horse diets (n = 8) Evidence D source
  Dietary N digestibility 96.8% (SEM 0.7) across all raw meat diets

What cooking and storage change

• Roasting concentrates elk meat: protein rises from 23 g to 30 g per 3.5 oz (100 g) as water drops from 74 g to 66 g in the USDA raw and roasted records. — — Evidence E source
  Per 100 g raw vs roasted: water 74.38 vs 66.28 g, protein 22.95 vs 30.19 g, energy 111 vs 146 calories, iron 2.76 vs 3.63 mg
• Lab tests found prions from a CWD-infected elk in raw, grilled and boiled meat and in the boiling water, so cooking did not remove them. — meat products (ham, steak, sausage, hamburger, jerky and others) from one CWD-positive 5-year-old bull elk, Texas (n = 1 animal) Evidence D source
  All grilled and boiled meats PMCA-positive in at least 1 replicate by round 3; grilling increased detection

Safety, limits and interactions

• The CDC advises hunters to consider testing deer or elk for chronic wasting disease and not to eat meat from an animal that tests positive. — hunters and people eating deer or elk from CWD areas Evidence E source
  —
• The zoonotic tapeworm Echinococcus canadensis was confirmed in 4 elk translocated from Canada to Tennessee. — elk re-established in Tennessee from Alberta; 103 necropsy records reviewed 2000-2017 (n = 103) Evidence D source
  4 elk PCR and sequence positive for E. canadensis; cysts in lung tissue

What people believe that the data does not support

• A systematic review of 7 RCTs of deer and elk velvet antler supplements found 2 weakly positive trials and 5 with no effect. — 7 RCTs on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, sexual function and sport performance (n = 7 trials) Evidence A source
  2 of 7 RCTs some positive effect, not convincing; 5 of 7 no effect; Jadad quality 3-5
• In an RCT on 46 rowers, 560 mg a day of elk velvet antler for 10 weeks did not change hormones or rowing performance versus placebo. — 25 male and 21 female rowers in training, 10 weeks (n = 46) Evidence B source
  No significant difference vs placebo in any hormonal response; performance gains similar in both groups

Who this works differently for

• In a US survey of 17,372 people, 67% had ever eaten deer or elk meat and most of that meat came from the wild. — 17,372 residents of 10 US FoodNet catchment areas, 2006-2007 (n = 17372) Evidence C source
  67.4% ever ate deer or elk; of 11,635 venison eaters 88.6% got all meat from the wild, 59.8% ate it at most 1-2 times in their peak year

What is still unknown

• In the same lab test, none of the CWD-positive elk meat samples converted the human prion protein, which suggests limited but unproven risk to people. — raw and cooked meat products from one CWD-positive elk tested against human PrP substrate (n = 1 animal) Evidence D source
  0 of 8 meat types induced human PrPC conversion in a single PMCA round

The bottom line

A 3 oz (85 g) serving of broiled lean elk round gives about 133 calories and 26 g protein, worked out from the USDA household measure. Roasting concentrates the meat as water leaves it. Per 100 g, protein goes from 23 g raw to 30 g roasted and iron from 2.76 mg to 3.63 mg, in paired USDA records that are not a measured retention factor. We found no study of how well people absorb elk protein or iron. The only digestibility figure comes from cats, whose dietary nitrogen was about 97 percent digestible, pooled across raw beef, bison, elk and horse diets. Chronic wasting disease is why elk has a safety section. In a 2025 lab study of meat from one infected bull elk, all grilled and boiled samples showed prion seeding by the third amplification round, and grilling made the prions easier to detect. The test measures seeding in a tube, which is different from infection in a person. In the same study none of 8 meat types converted human prion protein in a single round, and the authors say the risk to people remains unclear. The CDC advises hunters to consider testing deer or elk for the disease and not to eat meat from an animal that tests positive. It also states that no human case has been reported. A tapeworm that can infect people, Echinococcus canadensis, was confirmed in 4 elk moved from Alberta to Tennessee, as lung cysts, with no human cases reported in that animal study. In a US survey of 17,372 people from 2006 and 2007, 67 percent had ever eaten deer or elk, and the survey did not separate the two. We found no study on elk and pregnancy, children, kidney disease or medicines.

Compared with other foods

Sources

1. elk-r2-01 · food composition database
   Game meat, elk, raw (FDC 175301, NDB 17166, SR Legacy, Lamb, Veal, and Game Products): energy 111 kcal, protein 22.95 g, fat 1.45 g, cholesterol 55 mg, iron 2.76 mg, zinc 2.4 mg per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2019, FDC 175301 · checked 2026-10-01
2. elk-r2-02 · food composition database
   Game meat, elk, ground, raw (FDC 174425, NDB 17338): energy 172 kcal, fat 8.82 g, saturated fat 3.469 g per 100 g; Elk, free range, ground, raw (Shoshone Bannock) (FDC 168056, NDB 35173): energy 97 kcal, fat 1.8 g, saturated fat 0.706 g per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2019, FDC 174425 · checked 2026-10-01
3. elk-r2-04 · food composition database
   Game meat, elk, round, separable lean only, cooked, broiled (FDC 174428, NDB 17341): portion 1 serving (3 oz) = 85 g; energy 156 kcal, protein 30.94 g, fat 2.64 g per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2019, FDC 174428 · checked 2026-10-01
4. elk-r2-12 · animal feeding study
   Dietary N was highly digestible (96.8 (SEM 0.7)) for all treatments.
   Br J Nutr, 2011 · checked 2026-10-01
5. elk-r2-03 · food composition database
   Game meat, elk, raw (FDC 175301): water 74.38 g, protein 22.95 g, energy 111 kcal, iron 2.76 mg per 100 g; Game meat, elk, cooked, roasted (FDC 175302, NDB 17167): water 66.28 g, protein 30.19 g, energy 146 kcal, iron 3.63 mg per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2019, FDC 175302 · checked 2026-10-01
6. elk-r2-05 · laboratory study
   At the third PMCA round, all grilled and boiled meats were positive for CWD prion in >1 replicate, strongly suggesting that grilling increased the availability of CWD prions for in vitro prion amplification (Figure 2).
   Emerg Infect Dis, 2025 · checked 2026-10-01
7. elk-r2-07 · agency web page
   If your animal tests positive for CWD, do not eat meat from that animal.
   CDC, About Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), 2026 · checked 2026-10-01
8. elk-r2-09 · animal surveillance study
   Four elk were PCR and sequence positive for E. canadensis.
   Parasit Vectors, 2020 · checked 2026-10-01
9. elk-r2-10 · systematic review
   Two RCTs reported some positive effects of velvet antler supplements, but neither were convincing while the remaining five RCTs found no effect of velvet antler supplements.
   N Z Med J, 2012 · checked 2026-10-01
10. elk-r2-11 · randomized controlled trial
    It appears that 10 wk of EVA supplementation does not significantly improve rowing performance nor alter hormonal responses at rest or after acute exercise than training alone.
    Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2005 · checked 2026-10-01
11. elk-r2-08 · population survey
    More than two thirds (67.4%) reported having ever eaten deer or elk meat.
    J Am Diet Assoc, 2011 · checked 2026-10-01
12. elk-r2-06 · laboratory study
    The results demonstrated that none of the meat samples tested were able to induce conversion of human PrPC to PrPSc, suggesting a limited zoonotic potential for such edible products (Figure 3).
    Emerg Infect Dis, 2025 · checked 2026-10-01