Turkey breast: poultry moves cholesterol much like beef

On cholesterol, the trials put poultry about level with beef. A meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials in 406 people free of chronic disease found LDL cholesterol fell by 8.9 mg/dL on poultry or fish diets and by 8.2 mg/dL on beef diets, a gap that was far from significant (P = .905). Poultry and fish were pooled in those trials, so turkey was never tested alone. In a randomized trial of 113 healthy adults aged 21 to 65, eating each protein diet for 4 weeks, white meat left LDL cholesterol and apoB higher than non-meat protein did (P < 0.0001), and so did red meat. The white meat there was mostly chicken and turkey.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, a 3-oz portion of turkey breast provides about 180 mg of tryptophan, which could be equivalent to about 3 mg of niacin. — General population Evidence E source
  180 mg tryptophan per 3 oz, about 3 mg niacin equivalent
• According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, poultry, beef and fish provide about 5 to 10 mg of niacin per serving in highly bioavailable forms. — General population Evidence E source
  5-10 mg niacin per serving

What your body absorbs

• A scoping review of 77 studies found that adding muscle meat, including poultry, to plant meals raised iron and zinc absorption, with no clear difference between red meat, poultry and fish. — 77 human and animal studies of adding animal-source foods to plant-based meals (n = 77 studies) Evidence C source
  Iron and zinc absorption increased with muscle tissue in single meals; unclear over whole diet

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of 8 RCTs in 406 people found that LDL cholesterol fell by about the same amount on poultry or fish diets (-8.9 mg/dL) as on beef diets (-8.2 mg/dL). — 406 subjects free of chronic disease in 8 randomized controlled trials (n = 406) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -8.9 vs -8.2 mg/dL (P = .905)
• In an RCT with 113 adults eating each diet for 4 weeks, LDL cholesterol and apoB were higher with white meat and with red meat than with non-meat protein. — Healthy men and women aged 21-65 (61 high-SFA, 52 low-SFA completers), 4 weeks per protein diet (n = 113) Evidence B source
  LDL-C and apoB higher with red and white meat than nonmeat (P < 0.0001); no red vs white difference

Safety, limits and interactions

• USDA FSIS advises cooking turkey and other poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C), measured with a food thermometer. — consumers cooking poultry, USA Evidence E source
  165 °F for whole and ground poultry
• A retail survey in Catalonia found Listeria monocytogenes in 20% of cooked turkey breast samples. — Ready-to-eat food samples from retail stores and industry in Catalonia, Spain (n = 1226 samples) Evidence C source
  L. monocytogenes in 20% of cooked turkey breast samples
• In 150 turkey tissue samples from Kurdistan province, the cancer risk estimate for arsenic in breast, thigh and liver fell within the carcinogenic range, while the hazard quotient for toxic metals was acceptable. — 150 samples of turkey breast, thigh and liver, Kurdistan province, Iran (n = 150) Evidence C source
  Arsenic total risk in carcinogenic range; THQ acceptable

What people believe that the data does not support

• In a survey of 330 Spanish consumers, 71.3% said they would choose a meat product without additives if taste and price were equal. — 330 online survey respondents, Murcia, Spain, 2023 (n = 330) Evidence C source
  71.3% prefer additive-free; 78.2% see it as more natural

Who this works differently for

• CDC lists pregnant women, adults 65 and older and people with a weakened immune system as at higher risk of Listeria and advises them to avoid unheated deli meat and cold cuts and eat them reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot. — people at higher risk of listeriosis: pregnant women, adults 65 and older, people with a weakened immune system Evidence E source
  Avoid unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs and fermented or dry sausages, eat them reheated to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming hot
• In a 2002 US listeriosis outbreak traced to deli turkey, people who ate deli turkey breast more than 1-2 times in 4 weeks had 4.5 times higher odds of infection, and 3 pregnant women lost their babies. — 54 case patients in 9 US states; case-control study of 38 cases and 53 controls (n = 91) Evidence C source
  OR 4.5 (95% CI 1.3-17.1); 8 deaths, 3 fetal deaths

The bottom line

What turkey breast gives, on our cards, is tryptophan and niacin. According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, a 3-oz portion provides about 180 mg of tryptophan, which could be equivalent to about 3 mg of niacin, and how much converts varies between people. Poultry, beef and fish provide about 5 to 10 mg of niacin per serving in highly bioavailable forms. A scoping review of 77 studies found that adding meat to single plant-based meals raised iron and zinc absorption, with no clear difference between red meat, poultry and fish. Over a whole diet that effect is less clear. The table below lists deli, sliced and roasted versions, and none of our cards measures their salt. The cautions are about contamination. In a listeriosis outbreak across 9 US states, 55% of patients had eaten deli turkey breast more than 1 to 2 times in the 4 weeks before illness, against 28% of controls (odds ratio 4.5, 95% CI 1.3 to 17.1), in a case-control study of 38 cases and 53 controls from that one outbreak. A 2008 retail survey in Catalonia isolated Listeria monocytogenes from 20% of cooked turkey breast samples, and its abstract does not say how many turkey samples were tested. In 150 turkey tissue samples from one Iranian province, the hazard quotient for toxic metals was acceptable while the cancer risk estimate for arsenic fell within the carcinogenic range for breast, thigh and liver. That outbreak card records 8 deaths and 3 fetal deaths but gives no breakdown by age. Those fetal deaths mean the outbreak hit pregnancy hardest. The US CDC lists pregnant women, adults 65 and older and people with a weakened immune system as at higher risk of Listeria, and its advice for them is to avoid unheated deli meat and cold cuts and to eat them reheated to 165 °F or until steaming hot. For poultry cooked at home, USDA FSIS advises a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C), measured with a food thermometer, for whole and ground poultry. We also have no card on allergy or medicines for turkey. In a survey of 330 people in Murcia, Spain, 71.3% said they would buy a meat product without additives over one with them at similar taste and price. That measures preference. No card on this page tests whether the additives in processed turkey change health.

Compared with other foods

Sources

1. tkb-daily-r7-06 · Agency fact sheet
   Turkey is an example of a food high in tryptophan; a 3-oz portion of turkey breast meat provides about 180 mg tryptophan, which could be equivalent to 3 mg niacin [9].
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Niacin fact sheet for health professionals · checked 2026-09-29
2. tkb-daily-r7-07 · Agency fact sheet
   Many animal-based foods—including poultry, beef, and fish—provide about 5–10 mg niacin per serving, primarily in the highly bioavailable forms of NAD and NADP [3].
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Niacin fact sheet for health professionals · checked 2026-09-29
3. tkb-daily-r7-03 · Scoping review
   The addition of muscle tissue and muscle tissue fractions to single plant-based meals steadily increased absorption of iron and zinc across studies. The efficacy of the meat factor in increasing iron and zinc absorption in the overall diet is less clear. No clear differences emerged between red meat, poultry, and fish in promoting the meat factor effect.
   Adv Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
4. tkb-daily-r7-01 · Meta-analysis of RCTs
   RESULTS: Relative to the baseline diet, mean ± standard error changes (in mg/dL) after beef versus poultry/fish consumption, respectively, were -8.1 ± 2.8 vs. -6.2 ± 3.1 for total cholesterol (P = .630), -8.2 ± 4.2 vs. -8.9 ± 4.4 for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .905), -2.3 ± 1.0 vs. -1.9 ± 0.8 for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .762), and -8.1 ± 3.6 vs. -12.9 ± 4.0 mg/dL for triacylglycerols (P = .367).
   J Clin Lipidol, 2012 · checked 2026-09-29
5. tkb-daily-r7-02 · RCT
   LDL cholesterol and apoB were higher with red and white meat than with nonmeat, independent of SFA content (P < 0.0001 for all, except apoB: red meat compared with nonmeat [P = 0.0004]).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
6. sf-fsis-r4-3 · agency advice
   FSIS recommends cooking whole poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured using a food thermometer...Cook ground poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
   USDA FSIS, Doneness Versus Safety · checked 2026-10-08
7. tkb-daily-r7-05 · Prevalence survey
   L. monocytogenes was isolated from 20% of frozen Atlantic bonito small pies, 7.9% of smoked salmon samples, 11.1% of the pork luncheon meat samples, 6.2% of frozen chicken croquettes, 16.9% of cured dried sausage samples, 12.5% of cooked ham samples, and 20% of cooked turkey breast samples.
   J Food Prot, 2008 · checked 2026-09-29
8. tkb-daily-r7-08 · Cross-sectional
   The THQ for toxic metals was acceptable; however, the TR for arsenic in the breast, thigh, and liver tissues was within the carcinogenic range.
   Environ Monit Assess, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
9. tkb-daily-r7-09 · Survey
   In response to the question, “What preference would you have for two products of similar taste and price that differ only in the presence of additives?”, 71.3% of the respondents preferred to buy a product without additives, while only 26.1% were indifferent to the presence of additives.
   Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
10. sf-lis-r1-3 · agency advice
    You may be at higher risk if you are in one of the following groups: Women who are pregnant ... People who are 65 years or older ... People who have a weakened immune system ... Unheated deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages ... Deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs, and fermented or dry sausages reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot
    US CDC, Preventing Listeria Infection · checked 2026-10-08
11. tkb-daily-r7-04 · Case-control
    In the 4 weeks before illness, 55% of case patients had eaten deli turkey breast more than 1-2 times, compared with 28% of control patients (odds ratio, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-17.1).
    Clin Infect Dis, 2006 · checked 2026-09-29