Horse meat: one lean trial and a parasite record

We found exactly one randomized trial of horse meat in people. Among 52 healthy Italian men, the 26 who ate two 6.2 oz (175 g) portions a week for 90 days saw total cholesterol fall 6.2 percent and LDL cholesterol 9.1 percent against the 26 who ate none. Only men took part, and the rest of their diet was not controlled. Transferrin fell 4.6 percent in the same men. Their red blood cells gained about 8 percent more omega-3 fats and about 11 percent more DHA, which shows uptake and says nothing yet about health. Per 100 g raw, the USDA reference table lists 21.4 g protein, 4.6 g fat, 3.82 mg iron and 3.0 micrograms vitamin B12. That is one record with no sampling spread, and we found no second table to check it against. We found no cohort or trial that links horse meat to any long-term disease outcome. The parasite records further down are the cautions we do have, and raw or rare horse meat is the recorded route of trichinosis in them.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• In the same 90-day trial, eating horse meat twice a week raised omega-3 fatty acids in red blood cells by about 8 percent and DHA by about 11 percent. — 52 healthy male volunteers randomized to horse meat 2 x 175 g/week or no horse meat, 90 days (n = 52) Evidence B source
  Erythrocyte total n-3 about +7.8%, long-chain n-3 about +8%, DHA about +11% (p <= 0.05)
• Per 100 g, raw horse meat in the USDA reference table carries 21.4 g protein, 4.6 g fat, 3.82 mg iron and 3.0 micrograms vitamin B12. — USDA SR Legacy reference record, not sampled for spread Evidence E source
  Raw: 133 calories, protein 21.39 g, fat 4.6 g (saturated 1.44 g), cholesterol 52 mg, iron 3.82 mg, zinc 2.9 mg, B12 3.0 ug, selenium 10.1 ug

What a real portion looks like

• Roasted horse meat in the USDA table holds 28.1 g protein and 5.03 mg iron per 3.5 oz (100 g), and its reference serving is 3 oz or 85 g. — USDA SR Legacy reference record for cooked roasted horse meat Evidence E source
  Roasted per 3.5 oz (100 g): 175 calories, protein 28.14 g, fat 6.05 g, iron 5.03 mg, zinc 3.82 mg, B12 3.16 ug; serving 3 oz = 85 g, about 4.3 mg iron

What cooking and storage change

• A 1991 outbreak of 23 trichinosis cases in central France was traced to horse meat imported from a single US slaughterhouse, despite mandatory trichinella testing. — 23 cases in 12 households in Clermont-Ferrand and Montlucon, February to March 1991 (n = 23 cases) Evidence C source
  Significant association between eating horse meat and acute trichinosis (p < 0.01); 1 in intensive care, 15 with major symptoms

What it does to your health

• In a 90-day randomized trial, two 6.2 oz (175 g) portions of horse meat a week lowered total cholesterol by 6.2 percent, LDL cholesterol by 9.1 percent and transferrin by 4.6 percent in healthy men. — 52 healthy male volunteers, 26 eating two portions of 175 g horse meat per week and 26 abstaining, 90 days (n = 52) Evidence B source
  Total cholesterol -6.2%, LDL-C -9.1%, transferrin -4.6% (p <= 0.05)

Safety, limits and interactions

• In 2024 retail sampling in southern Mexico, Toxoplasma gondii DNA was found in 25 percent of horse meat samples, close to pork at 28 percent and far above chicken and lamb. — 276 retail meat samples (pork, chicken, beef, lamb, horse meat) from butcher shops, markets and supermarkets in Veracruz, February to July 2024 (n = 276 samples (all meats)) Evidence C source
  T. gondii DNA: horse meat 25.0%, pork 28.0%, chicken 3.1%, lamb 1.4%, beef 0%
• Among 388 horses swabbed in Italy, 7 percent carried MRSA, and horses at slaughterhouses carried it significantly more often than those on farms or racecourses. — 388 horses on farms, at racecourses and at slaughterhouses in Italy, plus 67 horse handlers (n = 388) Evidence C source
  MRSA ST398 and ST1 in 27 of 388 horses (7%); higher at slaughterhouses (p < 0.001); 5 of 67 handlers carriers
• EFSA and EMA judged phenylbutazone residues found in horse meat in 2013 to be of low concern, putting the chance of a predisposed consumer developing aplastic anemia between 2 in a trillion and 1 in 100 million. — EU consumers after the 2013 horse meat incident Evidence E source
  Probability of exposure plus aplastic anemia 2 in a trillion to 1 in 100 million on a given day
• In a 1985 trichinosis outbreak in France, all 325 patients had eaten horsemeat and 99% of them ate it raw or rare. — residents of Melun and Paris area, France, 1985 (n = 325 cases) Evidence C source
  All 325 cases ate horsemeat, 99% of them raw or rare
• The International Commission on Trichinellosis names horsemeat eaten raw or not adequately cooked as a source of human trichinellosis. For consumers it lists cooking meat to an internal temperature between 145°F (63°C) and 160°F (71°C) followed by a 3-minute rest, and accepts freezing only for meat from domestic pigs. — consumers of meat from animals that can carry Trichinella, horsemeat named as a source Evidence E source
  Cooking to an internal temperature between 145°F (63°C) and 160°F (71°C) with a 3-minute rest listed as acceptable; freezing accepted only for meat from domestic pigs

Who this works differently for

• CDC names eating contaminated undercooked meat as a way Toxoplasma spreads, giving pork, lamb and venison as examples, not horse. 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. — women newly infected with Toxoplasma during or just before pregnancy, and their unborn child Evidence E source
  Undercooked contaminated meat is a named route of Toxoplasma infection; a new infection around pregnancy can pass to the unborn child and cause severe health issues even when the mother has no symptoms

The bottom line

Roasted horse meat holds 28.1 g protein and 5.03 mg iron per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the same table, mostly because roasting drives out water. Its reference serving is 3 oz, or 85 g. The cautions on record are about what the meat can carry. In 1991, 23 people in central France caught trichinosis from horse meat traced to a single US slaughterhouse, although France required every horse carcass to be tested for the parasite. That is one outbreak and gives no rate. In an earlier 1985 outbreak in France, all 325 patients had eaten horse meat, and 99% of them ate it raw or rare. In 2024 retail sampling in Veracruz, Mexico, 25 percent of horse meat samples carried Toxoplasma DNA, close to pork at 28 percent. The number of horse meat samples is not given, and DNA does not prove a live parasite. CDC names eating contaminated undercooked meat as a way Toxoplasma spreads, with pork, lamb and venison as its examples. It says a woman newly infected during or just before pregnancy can pass it to her unborn child, who can have severe health issues even if she has no symptoms. Among 388 horses swabbed in Italy, 7 percent carried MRSA in the nose, more often at slaughterhouses. Those were live animals, and the meat itself was not tested. After the 2013 European horse meat incident, EFSA and EMA judged residues of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone of low concern, with a chance between 2 in a trillion and 1 in 100 million of a predisposed person developing aplastic anemia. We found no study of horse meat in pregnancy, children, older people or kidney disease. That gap is not a sign of safety. The 1985 outbreak came from raw or rare horse meat, and for Toxoplasma the group CDC names is women newly infected during or just before pregnancy. The International Commission on Trichinellosis names horse meat eaten raw or not adequately cooked as a source of trichinosis. For meat in general, not horse meat specifically, it lists cooking to an internal temperature between 145°F (63°C) and 160°F (71°C) followed by a 3-minute rest, and it accepts freezing only for meat from domestic pigs, so freezing horse meat is not on its list. That document does not cover Toxoplasma, and we hold no cooking figure for Toxoplasma in horse meat.

Sources

1. hrsm-r4-02 · randomized controlled trial
   Total n - 3, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids n - 3 and docosahexeanoic acid content in erythrocytes increased (p ≤ 0.05) by about 7.8%, 8% and 11%, respectively.
   Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2013 · checked 2026-09-28
2. hrsm-r4-07 · reference dataset
   Game meat, horse, raw | FDC 175086 | energy 133 kcal | protein 21.39 g | fat 4.6 g | saturated fat 1.44 g | cholesterol 52 mg | iron 3.82 mg | zinc 2.9 mg | vitamin B12 3.0 ug | selenium 10.1 ug
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 2019, Game meat horse raw (FDC 175086) and cooked roasted (FDC 175087) · checked 2026-09-28
3. hrsm-r4-08 · reference dataset
   Game meat, horse, cooked, roasted | FDC 175087 | portion 3 oz = 85.0 g | energy 175 kcal | protein 28.14 g | fat 6.05 g | iron 5.03 mg | zinc 3.82 mg | vitamin B12 3.16 ug
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 2019, Game meat horse raw (FDC 175086) and cooked roasted (FDC 175087) · checked 2026-09-28
4. hrsm-r4-03 · case-control
   This outbreak occurred despite a requirement in France for all meat from horses slaughtered in France and in countries exporting meat to France to be examined systematically for trichinella.
   Commun Dis Rep CDR Rev, 1997 · checked 2026-09-28
5. hrsm-r4-01 · randomized controlled trial
   Horse meat consumption significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced serum levels of total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( - 6.2% and - 9.1%, respectively) and transferrin ( - 4.6%).
   Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2013 · checked 2026-09-28
6. hrsm-r4-04 · prevalence survey
   Pork showed the highest positivity rate (28.0%), whereas chicken (3.1%), lamb (1.4%), and horse meat (25.0%) exhibited lower detection frequencies; no beef samples tested positive.
   Acta Parasitol, 2026 · checked 2026-09-28
7. hrsm-r4-05 · prevalence survey
   The prevalence of MRSA in horses tested at slaughterhouses was significantly higher (p < 0.001) compared with those tested on farms and racecourses.
   Foodborne Pathog Dis, 2017 · checked 2026-09-28
8. hrsm-r4-06 · agency risk assessment
   The likelihood that a predisposed individual consume horsemeat contaminated with the drug and develop this condition is low – between 2 in a trillion and 1 in 100 million.
   EFSA and EMA, joint statement on phenylbutazone in horse meat, press release 15 April 2013 · checked 2026-09-28
9. sf-game-r2-6 · outbreak investigation
   During the week of August 12, 1985, several cases of trichinosis were diagnosed in Melun ... Three hundred twenty-five individuals met the case definition. ... All 325 patients reported consuming horsemeat--99% of whom ate it raw or rare--before onset of illness
   CDC MMWR, Horsemeat-Associated Trichinosis, France (1986) · checked 2026-10-08
10. sf-horse-hf-1 · expert body statement
    Since 1975, horses have also been recognized as a source of human trichinellosis where horsemeat is consumed raw or not adequately cooked ... The ICT recognizes three (3) acceptable means of treatment to render potentially Trichinella-infected meats safe for consumption: 1) cooking, 2) freezing (for meat from domestic pigs), and 3) irradiation. ... Cooking to an internal temperature between 145° F (63 °C) and 160° F (71 °C), followed by a 3-minute rest.
    International Commission on Trichinellosis: Recommendations on post-harvest control of Trichinella in food animals, Food Waterborne Parasitol (2019) · checked 2026-10-08
11. sf-toxo-r4-3 · agency advice
    Eating contaminated undercooked meat (e.g., pork, lamb, venison) or shellfish (e.g., oysters, clams, or mussels) ... Women who are newly infected with Toxoplasma during or just before pregnancy can pass the infection to their unborn child. Although the mother may not have symptoms, the unborn child can have severe health issues.
    US CDC, Toxoplasmosis: Causes and How It Spreads · checked 2026-10-08