Pork loin: a lean cut studied mostly for its protein

In two crossover trials in 30 young and 25 older adults, two ounce-equivalents of pork supplied 7.36 g of essential amino acids, and pork and eggs both delivered more of them to the blood than black beans or almonds, at any age. That is a short-term blood marker, not a measure of muscle. In 56 young adults, pork loin, beef sirloin and eggs raised whole-body protein balance over 8.5 hours more than tofu, kidney beans, peanut butter or mixed nuts, with 8 people per food. The cut is lean. Raw lean loin steak has 110 calories, 23.2 g protein and 1.9 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the UK composition table, with 21 ug selenium, and the USDA figure for a loin cut is 33.3 ug, a 37% gap between the two tables. In 21 women, adding 2.6 oz (75 g) of pork cooked at 120 C to a basic meal raised nonheme iron absorption by 2.0% (1.3 to 3.1) in single iron-labeled meals. Pork cooked at 70 or 95 C gave smaller gains that did not reach significance.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Raw lean pork loin steak has 110 calories, 23.2 g protein and 1.9 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the UK composition table, with 0.64 mg thiamin and 21 ug selenium. — CoFID 2021, code 18-521, pork, loin steaks, raw, lean Evidence E source
  110 calories, protein 23.2 g, fat 1.9 g, saturated 0.66 g, thiamin 0.64 mg, niacin 9.1 mg, selenium 21 ug, zinc 1.5 mg, iron 0.44 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• Cooking concentrates pork loin by driving off water: per 3.5 oz (100 g), grilled lean loin steak has 35.1 g protein and 194 calories and roasted lean loin chop 39.6 g protein and 196 calories, against 23.2 g and 110 calories raw. — CoFID 2021, codes 18-521 (raw), 18-524 (grilled), 18-613 (roasted), lean loin Evidence E source
  Water 73.2 g raw vs 57.7 g grilled vs 53.3 g roasted; thiamin 0.64 vs 0.78 vs 0.88 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• A 6 oz (170 g) serving of pork loin given in a controlled feeding study supplied 36 g protein and 5 g fat, and amino acid uptake after it did not differ between lean and obese young adults. — 10 lean, 10 overweight and 10 obese young adults, single 170 g pork loin meal with tracer infusion (n = 30) Evidence C source
  Phenylalanine disappearance not different obese vs lean after pork

What a real portion looks like

• The US dietary survey codes a regular lean pork chop at 120 g as eaten, a thin one at 90 g and a thick one at 180 g. — USDA FNDDS, Pork, chop, lean only eaten (code 22101020) Evidence E source
  Regular 120 g, thin 90 g, thick 180 g, 1 oz yields 20 g

What your body absorbs

• In two crossover RCTs in 30 young and 25 older adults, two ounce-equivalents of pork (7.36 g essential amino acids) and of eggs (5.38 g) gave greater essential amino acid bioavailability than black beans or almonds, at any age. — young adults (mean 26.0 y) and older adults (mean 64.2 y), single standardized meals (n = 55) Evidence B source
  Pork 7.36 g EAA, eggs 5.38, black beans 3.02, almonds 1.85 g; pork and eggs > black beans and almonds (p < 0.0001)
• In an RCT of 56 young adults, ounce-equivalents of pork loin, beef or eggs raised whole-body net protein balance more than tofu, kidney beans, peanut butter or mixed nuts. — healthy young adults, 8 per protein food, 8.5-hour stable isotope study (n = 56) Evidence B source
  Greater net protein balance for animal sources (P < 0.01); pork and egg also suppressed protein breakdown vs plant sources (P < 0.01)
• In 21 women, adding 2.6 oz (75 g) of pork to a basic meal raised nonheme iron absorption by 2.0 percentage points when cooked at 120 C, and hotter cooking did not blunt this versus 70 C. — women aged about 25, basic meal with or without 75 g pork cooked at 70, 95 or 120 C, radio-iron labeled (n = 21) Evidence B source
  Nonheme iron absorption +0.9% (70 C), +0.7% (95 C), +2.0% (1.3-3.1, 120 C) vs meal without meat

What cooking and storage change

• By the USDA retention table for Pork Products, roasting fresh pork keeps about 60% of thiamin, 85% of niacin and 80% of vitamin B12, while iron and zinc stay at 100%. — USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors Release 6, group Pork Products, PORK,FRESH,ROASTED (1254) and PORK,FRESH,BROILED (1251) Evidence E source
  Roasted: thiamin 60%, niacin 85%, B12 80%, iron 100%, zinc 100%; broiled: thiamin 70%, niacin 80%, B12 90%

What it does to your health

• In a 9-month crossover RCT of 49 overweight adults eating up to 2.2 lb (1 kg) a week of lean pork, beef or chicken for 3 months each, body fat and BMI did not differ between the meats. — overweight or obese Australian middle-aged adults, unrestricted diet, 3-month periods (n = 49) Evidence B source
  No difference in BMI or any adiposity marker between pork, beef and chicken
• In the MedPork crossover RCT in 33 adults at cardiovascular risk, a Mediterranean diet with 2-3 weekly serves of lean pork did not lower blood pressure more than a low-fat diet over 8 weeks, and the low-fat diet cut 1.4 lb (0.65 kg) more weight. — adults at risk of CVD, 8 weeks per diet, 8-week washout (n = 33) Evidence B source
  No BP, lipid, glucose or CRP difference; weight -1.4 lb (95% CI -0.09 to -2.8; metric: -0.65 kg, -0.04 to -1.25) favoring low-fat
• In an all-food-provided crossover RCT, 156 g a day of lean pork was non-inferior to chicken for blood TMAO in 36 healthy adults on a US guidelines diet. — healthy adults, 156 g/day lean pork or chicken as main protein, controlled feeding (n = 36) Evidence B source
  Pork non-inferior to chicken for circulating TMAO (97.5% CI); lipid, inflammation markers indistinguishable
• In a double-blind crossover RCT of 23 cadets, pork-based field meals after a combat fitness test were followed by less muscle soreness and inflammation than plant-based meals, while blood lipids changed more favorably on the plant meals. — university corps of cadets, 3 days of meals-ready-to-eat after the Army Combat Fitness Test (n = 23) Evidence B source
  Direction only: less soreness, cortisol, inflammation with pork; lipids better with plant-based

Who this works differently for

• In the same MedPork trial, 35 adults aged 45 to 80 eating about 3 weekly servings of lean pork within a Mediterranean diet scored higher on processing speed than on a low-fat diet over 8 weeks. — adults aged 45-80 at risk of cardiovascular disease, 8 weeks per diet (n = 35) Evidence B source
  Processing speed higher on MedPork (p = 0.01); no other cognitive differences
• In 30 hospitalized adults over 65, being able to chew ginger-fried pork loin to a swallowable texture was linked with chewing ability measured by a color-change gum. — inpatients aged 65+, mean age 81.6, rehabilitation clinic in Tokyo (n = 30) Evidence C source
  Crude OR 1.15 per a* unit for ginger-fried pork loin (P = 0.026)

What is still unknown

• In a Dutch cohort of 120,852 adults, bacon was linked with stomach cancer but smoked beef or pork loin roll was not, and no study in the corpus tracks fresh pork loin itself against disease. — Netherlands Cohort Study, adults aged 55-69, 6.3 years follow-up (n = 120852) Evidence C source
  Bacon RR 1.33 (1.03-1.71); no association for smoked beef/pork loin roll

The bottom line

Cooking drives off water, so the numbers per 3.5 oz (100 g) go up. Grilled lean loin steak has 35.1 g protein and 194 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g) and roasted lean loin chop 39.6 g and 196 calories, per 3.5 oz (100 g) cooked weight and from two different cuts. By USDA retention factors dated 1975 and not specific to loin, roasting fresh pork keeps about 60% of the thiamin, 85% of the niacin and 80% of the vitamin B12, and all of the iron and zinc. The US dietary survey counts a regular lean pork chop as 120 g eaten, a thin one as 90 g and a thick one as 180 g. The health trials are small, and several ran in a pork industry context. In 49 overweight or obese Australian adults eating up to 2.2 lb (1 kg) a week of pork, beef or chicken for 3 months each, BMI and other markers of body fat did not differ between the meats, in an open-label trial. In the MedPork trial, 33 adults at cardiovascular risk spent 8 weeks each on a Mediterranean diet with 2 to 3 serves of lean pork a week and on a low-fat diet. Blood pressure, lipids, glucose, insulin and CRP did not differ significantly, and the low-fat diet took off 1.4 lb (0.65 kg) more weight (95% CI 0.04 to 1.25). In 35 people aged 45 to 80 from that trial, processing speed was higher after the pork diet (p = 0.01), one significant result among many cognitive tests. On a fully provided diet built to US guidelines, 156 g a day of lean pork was non-inferior to chicken for blood TMAO in 36 healthy adults, a surrogate marker. In 23 cadets after a combat fitness test, 3 days of pork-based field meals were followed by less muscle soreness and inflammation than plant-based meals, and blood lipids changed more favorably on the plant meals. That abstract gives no effect sizes. Two small studies looked at particular groups. After a 170 g pork loin meal with 36 g protein, amino acid uptake did not differ between 10 lean and 10 obese young adults, in a non-randomized single-meal study. In 30 inpatients over 65 at a Tokyo clinic, being able to chew ginger-fried pork loin to a texture safe to swallow went with better scores on a color-change chewing gum (crude OR 1.15 per unit), in one small clinic. We found no study on pork loin and allergy, pregnancy, medicines or food safety, so this page has no caution section, and that is missing evidence. In a Dutch cohort of 120,852 adults aged 55 to 69, bacon was linked with stomach cancer (RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.71) and smoked beef or pork loin roll was not. Those are cured products. We found no study that tracks fresh pork loin itself against disease.

Sources

1. prkl-daily-r1-01 · reference dataset
   CoFID 18-521 Pork, loin steaks, raw, lean: Energy 110 kcal · Protein 23.2 g · Fat 1.9 g · Satd FA 0.66 g · Thiamin 0.64 mg · Niacin 9.1 mg · Selenium 21 µg · Zinc 1.5 mg · Iron 0.44 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England (OGL v3.0), code 18-521 · checked 2026-09-29
2. prkl-daily-r1-02 · reference dataset
   CoFID 18-524 Pork, loin steaks, grilled, lean: Energy 194 kcal · Protein 35.1 g · Fat 5.9 g · Water 57.7 g · Thiamin 0.78 mg | CoFID 18-613 Pork, loin chops, roasted, lean: Energy 196 kcal · Protein 39.6 g · Fat 4.2 g · Water 53.3 g · Thiamin 0.88 mg | CoFID 18-521 raw lean: Water 73.2 g
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England (OGL v3.0), codes 18-521, 18-524, 18-613 · checked 2026-09-29
3. prkl-daily-r1-13 · controlled trial
   Blood and muscle biopsy samples were collected at 0 min (post-absorptive), 120 min and 300 min relative to the ingestion of 170 g pork loin (36 g protein and 5 g fat) to examine skeletal muscle protein signalling, plasma proteomic signatures, and whole-body phenylalanine disappearance rates (Rd). RESULTS: Phenylalanine Rd was not different in obese compared to lean individuals at all time points
   Metabolism, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
4. prkl-daily-r1-04 · reference dataset
   FNDDS 22101020 Pork, chop, lean only eaten (fdc 2705868): 1 thin 90 g · 1 regular 120 g · 1 thick 180 g · Quantity not specified 120 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023 (FoodData Central) · checked 2026-09-29
5. prkl-daily-r1-05 · RCT, crossover
   We conducted two investigator-blinded, randomized crossover trials in young (n = 30; mean age ± SD: 26.0 ± 4.9 y) and older adults (n = 25; mean age ± SD: 64.2 ± 6.6 y). ... Participant age did not affect EAA bioavailability among the four protein foods tested. Two oz-eq portions of pork (7.36 g EAA) and eggs (5.38 g EAA) resulted in greater EAA bioavailability than black beans (3.02 g EAA) and almonds (1.85 g EAA) in young and older adults, separately or combined (p < 0.0001 for all).
   Nutrients, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
6. prkl-daily-r1-06 · RCT
   Following 3 d of dietary control, a total of 56 healthy young adults underwent an 8.5-h metabolic study using stable isotope tracer methodology. ... Consumption of ounce equivalents of animal-based protein food sources (beef sirloin, pork loin, eggs) resulted in a greater gain in whole-body net protein balance above baseline than the ounce equivalents of plant-based protein food sources (tofu, kidney beans, peanut butter, mixed nuts; P < 0.01).
   J Nutr, 2021 · checked 2026-09-29
7. prkl-daily-r1-07 · RCT
   Twenty-one women (25 +/- 3 y) were served a basic meal without meat and two other meals consisting of the basic meal plus 75 g of pork meat cooked at 70, 95 or 120 degrees C. ... Nonheme iron absorptions were 0.9 (0.5-4.0)% (P = 0.06), 0.7 (0.4-3.9)% (P = 0.1) and 2.0 (1.3-3.1)% (P < 0.001) greater when meat cooked at 70, 95 or 120 degrees C, respectively, was added to the basic meal. Increasing the cooking temperature of meat did not impair nonheme iron absorption compared with cooking at 70 degrees C.
   J Nutr, 2003 · checked 2026-09-29
8. prkl-daily-r1-03 · reference dataset
   Retn_Code 1254 PORK,FRESH,ROASTED: thiamin 60% · niacin 85% · vitamin B12 80% · iron 100% · zinc 100% | Retn_Code 1251 PORK,FRESH,BROILED: thiamin 70% · niacin 80% · vitamin B12 90%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) · checked 2026-09-29
9. prkl-daily-r1-08 · RCT, crossover
   In a nine month randomised open-labelled cross-over intervention trial, 49 overweight or obese adults were randomly assigned to consume up to 1 kg/week of pork, chicken or beef, in an otherwise unrestricted diet for three months, followed by two further three month periods consuming each of the alternative meat options. ... There was no difference in BMI or any other marker of adiposity between consumption of pork, beef and chicken diets.
   Nutrients, 2014 · checked 2026-09-29
10. prkl-daily-r1-09 · RCT, crossover
    A 24-week randomised controlled parallel cross-over design compared a Mediterranean diet supplemented with 2-3 serves per week of fresh, lean pork (MedPork) with a low-fat control diet (LF). Thirty-three participants at risk of CVD followed each intervention for 8 weeks, with an 8-week washout period separating interventions. ... Compared with the MedPork intervention, the LF intervention led to greater reductions in weight (Δ = -0·65; 95 % CI -0·04, -1·25 kg, P = 0·04) ... No significant differences were observed for blood pressure, lipids, glucose, insulin or CRP.
    Br J Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
11. prkl-daily-r1-11 · RCT, crossover
    In a randomized, controlled, all-food-provided, crossover, feeding trial, healthy adults consumed 156 g day-1 of lean-pork or chicken (active-control) as primary proteins. Mixed-effect modeling shows pork as noninferior to chicken for circulating TMAO response and microbiota-generated essential TMAO-precursor-trimethylamine (97.5% CI, n = 36/protein).
    Mol Nutr Food Res, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
12. prkl-daily-r1-12 · RCT, crossover
    Twenty-three (n = 23) University Corps of Cadets members participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and crossover-designed study. ... However, those consuming the pork-based diet experienced less muscle soreness, urinary urea excretion, cortisol, inflammation, and depression scores while experiencing a higher testosterone/cortisol ratio and appetite satisfaction. ... Conversely, blood lipid profiles were more favorably changed when following a plant-based diet.
    Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
13. prkl-daily-r1-10 · RCT, crossover
    Thirty-five participants aged between 45 and 80 years and at risk of cardiovascular disease followed each intervention for 8 weeks, separated by an 8-week washout period. ... Compared to LF, the MedPork intervention led to higher processing speed performance (p = 0.01) and emotional role functioning (p = 0.03). No other significant differences were observed between diets.
    Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
14. prkl-daily-r1-14 · cross-sectional
    Participants being able to prepare the food with suitable texture for swallowing was positively associated with the a* values in boiled rice, ginger-fried pork loin, boiled fish-paste, and rice cracker (Crude OR 1.18, 1.15, 1.17, and 1.50; P < 0.001, = 0.026, <0.001, and <0.001, respectively).
    Dysphagia, 2017 · checked 2026-09-29
15. prkl-daily-r1-15 · cohort
    Positive associations were found for bacon (RR highest/lowest intake = 1.33; 95% CI = 1.03-1.71) and other sliced cold meat (RR highest/lowest intake = 1.29; 95% CI = 0.96-1.72), but not for smoked sausage, total cold meats, rashers/bacon, boiled ham and smoked beef/pork loin roll.
    Cancer Causes Control, 2003 · checked 2026-09-29