How many times have you heard that pork is bad for you? Or that pork is dangerous? Avoiding pork for religious reasons is one thing but avoiding pork simply because some "expert" decided to present a one-sided view is something else. Let's bring a little science to the discussion, shall we?

Is Pork Really Bad For You?

Today's pork products are leaner and healthier than ever. A 3-ounce serving of pork tenderloin has less than half the fat of a 3-ounce serving of skinless chicken thigh.

And pork is a good source of B-vitamins and many minerals, too. That 3-ounce serving of pork contains over half of your recommended daily allowance of thiamin and more than a third of your RDA of vitamin B6 and Niacin. Pork is also a source of iron, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamin B12.

Pork & Parasites

Like all other meat products, pork carries a very real risk of parasitic infection--especially if the meat is undercooked. Tapeworm and trichinosis are just two of the parasitic infections often mentioned in anti-pork literature.

How common are tapeworm and trichinosis? In an article titled Deaths from Cysticercosis, United States, researchers put the number of pork tapeworm cases in the years 1990-2002 at 221. The vast majority of these cases were of immigrants who likely brought the infection with them. Only 33 of these cases involved U.S.-born citizens.

As for trichinosis, the numbers look even better. More rigorous enforcement of the Swine Health Protection Act has brought the incidence of trichinosis-positive pigs down to 0.1%. In fact, according to the CDC, most recent trichinosis cases in the U.S. have been linked to the consumption of improperly cooked wild game meat like bear--not commercially packaged pork.

The truth is, the organisms that pose a danger to pork eaters are easier to destroy through proper cooking than salmonella, a bacterial infection most commonly associated with eggs and poultry.

Scientific Studies in Favor of Pork

You don't often hear about the "pros" of eating pork but more than a few studies have found pork both safe and nutritious. One of the most intriguing studies on pork was a 2007 study out of Spain. In this study, conducted by the Galician Public Foundation for Heath Emergencies, researchers found that frequent consumption of fresh meat actually reduced the risk of lung cancer while consumption of fish increased it. The reasons for these results are unknown but results of this study are sure to spur on discussions for some time to come.

"But Pigs Don't Have Sweat Glands"

One of the most common arguments made about pork is that pigs are "dirty" because they lack the ability to perspire. It's true. Pigs don't have sweat glands. But neither do chickens.