Pork is the meat of home pigs ( Sus domesticus ).
This is the type Red meat most consumed worldwide, especially in East Asia, but some religions still prohibit consumption, such as Islam and Judaism.
For this reason, pork is illegal in many Muslim countries.
It is usually unprocessed food, but the salted (preserved) type of pork is still very popular. Including bacon, ham, bacon and sausages.
High in protein, rich in vitamins and minerals, lean pork is a great source of nutritional supplements for a healthy diet.
This is cooked pork (grilled pork): 
Nutritional value
Pork is kind High protein foods and contains diverse amounts of fat.
The table below provides all the nutrition information in pork .
Species
Ground cooked pork
Ration
100 gram
General information
| Content | |
| Calories | 297 |
| Country | 53% |
| The protein | 25.7 g |
| Carb | 0 g |
| Street | 0 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Fat | 20.8 g |
| Saturation | 7.72 g |
| Unsaturated single | 9.25 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 1.87 g |
| Omega-3 | 0.07 g |
| Omega-6 | 1.64 g |
| Trans fat | ~ |
Vitamin
| Content | % DV | |
| Vitamin A | 2 µg | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0.7 mg | first% |
| Vitamin D | 0.5 µg | ten% |
| Vitamin E | 0.21 mg | first% |
| Vitamin K | 0 µg | ~ |
| Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 0.71 mg | 59% |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.22 mg | 17% |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 4.21 mg | 26% |
| Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) | 0.52 mg | ten% |
| Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) | 0.39 mg | 30% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.54 µg | 23% |
| Folate | 6 µg | 2% |
| Choline | 88.3 mg | 16% |
Mineral
| Content | % DV | |
| Calcium | 22 mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1.29 mg | 16% |
| Magie | 24 mg | 6% |
| Phosphorus | 226 mg | 32% |
| Kali | 362 mg | 8% |
| Sodium | 73 mg | 5% |
| Zinc | 3.21 mg | 29% |
| Copper | 0.04 mg | 5% |
| Manganese | 0.01 mg | 0% |
| Selenium | 35.4 µg | sixty four% |
Protein in pork
Like other meats, pork is primarily made up of words the protein .
Protein content in cooked lean pork is about 26% of fresh weight.
By dry weight, the protein content in lean pork can be up to 89%, making it one of the most protein rich sources of food .
Pork also contains all the essential amino acids needed for body growth and maintenance. In fact, meat is one of the most complete protein sources.
For this reason, eating pork or other meats will be especially helpful for bodybuilders, physical restorers, postoperative patients, who want to be muscular or re-shaped. create muscle.
Conclude: High quality protein is the main nutritional ingredient in pork, making it useful for muscle growth and maintenance.
Lard
Pork contains different fat content.
The ratio of fat in pork usually ranges from 10-16% , but it can also be much higher, depending on the degree of meat cutting and various factors.
The filtered fat, also known as lard, is sometimes used for cooking. Like other meats, pork mainly consists of saturated fat and unsaturated fats, with equal amounts.
Fatty acid components in pork are slightly different from ruminant meat, such as beef and lamb.
It has a content conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) low, but quite rich in unsaturated fat .
Conclude: The fat content of pork varies by type. It is mainly made up of monounsaturated and saturated fats.
Vitamins and minerals
Here are the main vitamins and minerals found in pork:
- Thiamin: Unlike red meat like beef and Lamb , pork is especially rich in thiamin. Thiamine is one of the B vitamins that plays an essential role in bodily functions .
- Selenium: Pork is a selenium-rich food. The source of this essential mineral is from animal-based foods such as meat and seafood, egg and dairy products .
- Zinc: An important and abundant mineral in pork. It is an essential mineral to keep the brain and immune system healthy.
- Vitamin B12: Found only in animal-derived foods, vitamin B12 is very important for blood formation and brain function. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anemia and damage to nerve cells.
- Vitamin B6: As a group of related vitamins, it is very important for the formation of red blood cells.
- Niacin: One of the B vitamins, also known as vitamin B3. It serves a wide range of functions in the body, which are important for growth and metabolism.
- Phosphorus: A rich and popular mineral in most foods, phosphorus is an indispensable ingredient in the human diet. It is an essential mineral for body growth and maintenance.
- Iron: Pork contains less iron than lamb and beef. However, the absorption of animal iron (heme iron) from the gastrointestinal tract is very effective and pork can be considered a fairly prominent source of iron food.
- Pork also contains an adequate amount of other vitamins and minerals.
Processed pork products such as ham or bacon can contain very high amounts of salt (sodium).
Conclude: Pork is a great source of food containing many vitamins and minerals, including thiamin, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, niacin, phosphorus and iron.
Other compounds from meat
Animal foods also contain a number of bioactive substances, unlike vitamins and minerals, which can affect health.
- Creatine: There is a lot in meat, the function of creatine is an energy source for muscles. It is a popular supplement for bodybuilders. Research indicates that it helps improve muscle growth and maintenance .
- Taurine: Found in fish and meat, taurine is an antioxidant amino acid formed by organs in the body. Taurine-absorbing diets are important for heart and muscle function .
- Glutathione: As an antioxidant, most are in meat but can also be produced in the human body. Although glutathione is an essential antioxidant in the body, its role as an animal nutrition molecule is unclear .
- Cholesterol: A type of sterol found in meat and other animal-derived foods, such as milk and eggs. Food cholesterol does not affect cholesterol levels in the body, at least for the majority of the population .
Conclude: Pork contains some bioactive compounds like creatine, taurine and glutathione.
Health benefits from pork
Pork provides a lot of different healthy vitamins and minerals, as well as high quality protein sources. Cooked pork is an excellent part of a healthy diet.
Maintain muscle mass
Along with many other animal-based foods, pork is one of the best high-quality protein foods.
By age, maintaining muscle mass is an important health concern. If you don't exercise or apply a proper diet, muscle mass will naturally degrade with age, this adverse change leads to many age-related health problems.
In the most severe cases, muscle atrophy may lead to a condition called expressed when muscle mass is severely reduced as well as reducing quality of life. Sarcopenia is most common in the elderly.
High quality protein, which contains all essential amino acids, is important for maintaining muscle mass, especially when combined with physical training.
Lack of high quality protein can accelerate age-related muscle degeneration, increase the risk of causing sarcopenia .
Eating pork or other high protein animal foods is a great way to make sure your body absorbs enough high quality protein and helps maintain muscle mass.
Conclude: Pork is a great source of high quality protein, so it also affects the growth and maintenance of muscle mass.
Improve physical activity
Eating meat is not only beneficial for maintaining muscle mass but also helps improve muscle function and physical activity.
In addition to being rich in high quality protein, animal muscles (meat) also contain healthy nutrients that are beneficial to human muscles. These include taurine, creatine and beta-alanine.
Beta-alanine is an amino acid used to produce carnosine in the body.
Carnosine is a very important substance for muscle function .
High levels of carnosine in human muscles, in fact, have been shown to reduce fatigue and improve physical activity .
The application of a vegetarian or vegan diet with a very low amount of beta-alanine, will reduce the amount of carnosine in the muscle over time .
In contrast, diets high in beta-alanine (from dietary supplements) significantly increase carnosine levels in muscles .
Therefore, eating pork or other rich beta-alanine food sources will help those who want to maximize physical activity.
Conclude: Like other meats, pork improves muscle function and physical activity.
Pork and heart disease
Heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease, is the main cause of premature death in the world. It includes adverse conditions like heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure.
The results are inconsistent from observational studies on red meat and heart disease.
Some studies have shown an increased risk of heart disease for both processed and unprocessed red meats , while other studies show an increased risk only for processed meat .
Other studies did not find any significant link .
However, there is no clear evidence that meat actually causes heart disease. Observational studies only show possible links, but cannot provide evidence for causal links - direct results.
It is clear that eating a lot of meat is related to unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as consuming less fruit and vegetables, less physical activity, smoking, overeating and most observational studies try to correct for these factors.
Another popular explanation involves the amount of cholesterol and saturated fat in meat.
However, cholesterol diets have little or no effect on blood cholesterol levels and are not considered a health concern .
The link between saturated fat and heart disease is also unclear, high-quality studies also did not find any important link .
Conclude: Moderate consumption of pork in a healthy diet is unlikely to increase the risk of heart disease.
Pork and cancer
Cancer is a serious disease, characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells in the body.
Many observational studies have found a link between eating red meat and the risk of colon cancer .
Other studies have found no significant impact .
The demonstration of pork really causes cancer to people very difficult.
That's because observational studies can only detect solidarity and not provide evidence for a causal link - direct result.
However, overcooked meat may contain some carcinogens, especially heterocyclic amine .
is a group of unhealthy substances found in relatively high amounts in meat, fish or animal protein sources when cooked too well.
They are formed when proteins from animals, such as pork, are exposed to very high temperatures during baking, roasting or frying .
Research has shown that foods rich in heterocyclic amine will increase the risk of certain types of cancer, such as bowel, breast, prostate and other types of cancer .
The role of meat consumption causing cancer development is unclear. Although there is no concrete evidence of carcinogens in meat, there are many signs.
If you are on a healthy diet, consuming a moderate amount of cooked pork will not increase your risk of cancer, but to optimize your health, limit consumption of overcooked meats.
Conclude: Pork is not a risk factor for cancer. However, consuming a large amount of overcooked pork is a matter of concern.
Side effects and isolated cases
Eating raw or undercooked (rarely) pork should be avoided completely, especially in developing countries.
This is because pork may contain some infectious parasites to humans .
Tapeworm in pork
Tapeworm pork ( Taenia solium ) is a type of intestinal parasite. Sometimes it is 2-3 meters long.
Infection is rare in developed countries. But that is a major concern in Africa, Asia, Central and South America .
Humans are infected by eating raw or undercooked pork.
For most of the time, it is completely harmless and does not cause any symptoms.
However, it can lead to helminths, estimated to affect about 50 million people every year .
One of the most serious symptoms of helminthiasis is epilepsy. In fact, helminths are considered the leading cause of epilepsy .
Parasitic round worms
Trichinella is a family of parasitic roundworms that cause helminths.
Although helminths are not common in developing countries, eating raw or undercooked pork (rarely) may increase the risk, especially wild or gardened pork .
Usually, helminths have very mild symptoms, such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, heartburn or no symptoms at all.
However, helminth disease can develop into a serious manifestation, especially in the elderly.
In some cases, it can lead to weakness, muscle pain, fever and swelling around the eyes. In the worst case, it can be fatal .
Parasitic infections
Toxoplasma gondii is the scientific name of a single-celled parasite that is only visible in a microscope.
It is found worldwide, estimated to be present in about a third of the population .
In developed countries like the United States, the most common cause of this disease is consumption of raw or undercooked pork .
Usually infected Toxoplasma gondii does not cause any symptoms, but in people with weak immune systems, it can lead to a condition known as parasitic infection.
Symptoms of parasitic infections are usually quite mild. However, it can harm an unborn baby and pose a life-threatening risk for patients with weakened immune systems .
Although the parasite in pork is uncommon in developed countries, pork should still be cooked before eating.
Conclude: Because of parasites, eating raw or undercooked pork should be avoided.
summary
Pork is the most popular meat in the world.
It is a high quality protein source, as well as other vitamins and minerals.
Therefore, it helps promote muscle growth and maintenance, improves physical activity.
On the negative side, consumption of undercooked or over-cooked pork should be avoided.
Overcooked pork may contain carcinogens and live pork may contain parasites.
Therefore, moderate consumption of properly prepared pork will be well suited to a healthy diet.
