Lard

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Blood pressure³

  In people, lard mixed with soybean oil lowered blood pressure more than lard or soybean oil alone.

• Open question

  Cholesterol levels in people⁴

  In adults with insulin resistance, swapping saturated fat for monounsaturated fat lowered LDL cholesterol, but lard itself was not studied.

• No harm found

  Blood fat after eating⁵

  In people, lard and two other fats left blood fat levels much the same after meals.

Animal and lab studies only

• Open question

  Gut bacteria balance⁶

  In animal studies, eating lard for six weeks changed the gut bacteria in mice.

• Concern

  Heart structure and energy use⁷

  In animal studies, mice eating lots of lard gained weight and their hearts changed, but extra calories mattered more than the lard.

• Benefit

  Body weight and body fat⁸

  In animal studies, mice eating lard mixed with soybean oil gained less weight and body fat.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.