Pork consumption and its relationship to human nutrition and health: a scoping review

Pork is a frequently consumed red meat that provides substantial amounts of energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients to the diet. Its role in human nutrition and health is controversial and a plethora of data exist in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review of clinical and population-based studies to assess the effects of pork consumption on human nutrition and health. Results are reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews. Data were extracted from 86 studies, including 16 randomized controlled trials, 1 uncontrolled trial, 7 cohort studies, 4 nonrandomized controlled trials, 4 case-cohort and nested case-control studies, 33 case-control studies, and 21 cross-sectional studies. Intervention studies were conducted in healthy individuals and were short to moderate in duration. The effect of pork intake on patients’ nutrient status was the most commonly assessed outcome. The majority of observational studies assessed the effect of pork on cancer incidence, but no studies assessed the effects of pork on inflammation or oxidative stress. No interventional studies explored diabetes mellitus risk, and only one study assessed cancer risk associated with pork consumption. Several micronutrients in pork, including zinc, iron, selenium, choline, thiamin, and vitamins B6 and vitamin B12, are thought to influence cognitive function and may prove to be a unique area of research. To date, there is a dearth of high-quality randomized controlled trials assessing the effects of pork intake on disease risk factors and outcomes. This review helps highlight the many research gaps that future studies should be designed to address.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Key Genes and Pathways Associated with Mummify Piglets

China is the country with the largest pork consumption in the world. However, the incidence of high mummify piglets (3-5%) is one of the important factors that cause the slow improvement of pig reproductive capacity, and the genetic mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to identify candidate genes related to high mummify piglets. RNA-seq technology was used to comparative transcriptome profiling of blood from high piglets mummified and healthy sow at different stages of pregnancy (35d, 56d, 77d and 98d). A total of 137 to 420 DEGs were detected in each stage. Seven differentially expressed genes were significantly differentially expressed at various stages. IL-9R, TLR8, ABLIM3, FSH-α, ASCC1, PRKCZ, and GCK may play an important role in course of mummify piglets. The differential genes we identified between the groups were mainly enriched in immune and inflammation regulation, and others were mainly enriched in reproduction. Considering the function of candidate genes, IL-9R and TLR8 were suggested as the most promising candidate genes involved in mummify piglet traits. We speculate that during pregnancy, it may be the combined effects of the above-mentioned inflammation, immune response, and reproduction-related signal pathways that affect the occurrence of mummifying piglets, and further affect pig reproduction.

HBV and HEV Co-infections among Animal Handlers and Non-Animal Handlers in Osun State, Nigeria

Aim: Co-infection of hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses may lead to severe morbidity and mortality. This study was conducted to determine prevalence of co-infection of HBV and HEV among animal and non-animal handlers in Osun State, Nigeria. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Nigeria, between June 2015 and July 2019. Methods: A total of 180 blood samples were obtained and screened for Hepatitis B and E virus from cohorts of 90 animal handlers and 90 non-animal handlers. Questionnaires on HBV and HEV were administered to obtain a demographic characteristic of the participants. HBsAg and anti-HEV antibodies were screened using HBsAg and HEV ELISA kits. Results: Results showed the overall prevalence of HBV and HEV Co-infection to be 12.2 %. There was variation in the HBV/HEV co-infections rates among the studied population, with a co-infection rates of 15.9%, 14.3% and 7.8% for butchers, pig handlers and non-animal handlers, respectively. Sources of drinking water was the predisposition factor for HBV/HEV coinfections (P=0.02). The results revealed that subjects who used tap and river as a drinking water source had the highest prevalence followed by well and sachet and then all water source. Although results portray no statistically significant association with, frequent washing of hands after, rearing of animal, type of toilet, eating of pork, consumption of grilled meat and cow skin (P> 0.05). Conclusion: This study reported a high prevalence of HBV/HEV coinfections among animal and non-animal handlers in Osun State, Nigeria. There is, therefore, the need to increase health promotion efforts such as immunization, health education, campaign, provision of adequate blood screening equipment and proper hygiene is recommended for further reduction in HBV/HEV transmission. Since the consumption of contaminated water is the main transmission route of HEV, improving the level of public health sanitation in the area should be considered a priority by policymakers.

Prediction of pork meat prices by selected methods as an element supporting the decision-making process

Forecasts of economic processes can be determined using various methods, and each of them has its own characteristics and is based on specific assumptions. In case of agriculture, forecasting is an essential element of efficient management of the entire farming process. The pork sector is one of the main agricultural sectors in the world. Pork consumption and supply are the highest among all types of meat, and Poland belongs to the group of large producers. The article analyses the price formation of class E pork, expressed in Euro per 100 kg of carcass, recorded from May 2004 to December 2019. The data comes from the Agri-food data portal. A creeping trend model with segments of linear trends of various lengths and the methodology of building ARIMA models are used to forecast these prices. The accuracy of forecasts is verified by forecasting ex post and ex ante errors, graphical analysis, and backcasting analysis. The study shows that both methods can be used in the prediction of pork prices.

Clash of Cultures in the Classical Period

The influence of Greek and Roman culture on the Near East, especially after Alexander’s conquests, brought a revival of pig husbandry, which had largely been lost in the Iron Age. Pigs and pork played fundamental roles in Greek and Roman culture—in the economy, in the diet, and in ritual. Greek and, especially, Roman writers celebrated pigs and pork. Zooarchaeological data indicate a surge in pig production in Near Eastern cities. But Greco-Roman love of pigs and pork ran into conflict with Jewish populations in the Levant. The ingestion of pork became entangled in the political and ethnic conflicts playing out between Jews and their Greek and Roman imperial masters. It became a metonym for submission; its avoidance a symbol of resistance. Pork avoidance was thus elevated from one of many taboos codified in Leviticus to a practice definitive of Jewish identity. Pork consumption also became a way for Christians to reject Judaism.

Islam and the Modern Period

The development and rapid spread of Islam in the 7th century AD laid the groundwork for the modern Near East. Islam’s early thinkers attempted to position their new religion as superior by threading the needle between Christianity and Judaism. Islam adopted a much more restricted version of the food taboos laid out in the Torah. The taboo on pork was one of the few the Quran, and it ultimately spelled the end of pig husbandry in much of the Near East. Nevertheless, pig husbandry and pork consumption have continued to this day, especially among Christian communities. The taboo also became increasingly tied to ethnoreligious intolerance and acts of hatred in the medieval and modern periods. The weaponization of pork, which can be traced at its earliest to the Classical period, became increasingly prevalent, as did the pejorative association of Christians with swine.

Parasitic Infections of Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) in Iran: A Literature Review

Background: Swine species are an important source of meat production worldwide, except in Islamic countries where pig breeding and pork consumption are forbidden. Hence, they are often neglected in these regions. A considerable number of wild boars (Sus scrofa) inhabit Iranian territories, particularly in dense forests of north, west and southwest of the country, but our knowledge regarding their parasites is very limited. Objective: The lack of a comprehensive record in this connection encouraged us to review the whole works of literature in the country. Methods: The current review presents all the information about the parasitic diseases of wild boar in Iran extracted from articles available in both Persian and English databases until June 2017. Results: So far, 8 genera of protozoa (Toxoplasma, Balanthidium, Tritrichomonas, Blastocystis, Entamoeba, Iodamoeba, Chilomastix and Sarcocystis) and 20 helminth species, including four cestode species, two trematode species, thirteen nematode species as well as a single species of Acanthocephala have been described in Iranian wild boars. Conclusion: This review sheds light on the veterinary and public health aspects of the parasitic diseases of wild boars in the country and alerts authorities for future preventive measures.

Food choices and Social distinctions among University Students in Hyderabad

Based on empirical study, designed to capture the views of students in a leading Indian university on diverse types of dietary choices, this article specifically examines the extent of acceptability of beef and pork in hostel menus. The study found that while only widely accepted vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items like chicken and mutton featured in mess menus, the scale of social tolerance for beef and pork consumption among students is actually much larger, and much more widely spread than hegemonic mainstream claims have been ready to admit. Based on such findings, this sociological study raises wider implications regarding the politics of food choice in India today.

Fresh- and lean-pork intake in relation to functional limitations among US older adults, 2005–2016

Background: Pork consumption, in particular fresh/lean-pork consumption, provides protein and other essential micronutrients that older adults need daily and may hold the potential to prevent functional limitations resulting from sub-optimal nutrition. Aim: Assess fresh/lean-pork intake in relation to functional limitations among older adults in the USA. Methods: Individual-level data came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2016 waves. Nineteen validated questions assessed five functional limitation domains: activities of daily living (ADLs); instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs); leisure and social activities (LSAs); lower extremity mobility (LEM); and general physical activities (GPAs). Logistic regressions were performed to examine pork, fresh-pork and fresh lean-pork intake in relation to functional limitations among NHANES older adults ( n = 6135). Results: Approximately 21, 18 and 16% of older adults consumed pork, fresh pork and fresh lean pork, respectively. An increase in pork consumption by 1 oz-equivalent/day was associated with a reduced odds of ADLs by 12%, IADLs by 10% and any functional limitation by 7%. An increase in fresh-pork consumption by 1 oz-equivalent/day was associated with a reduced odds of ADLs by 13%, IADLs by 10%, GPAs by 8%, and any functional limitation by 8%. Similar effects were found for fresh lean-pork consumption on ADLs, IADLs, GPAs and any functional limitation. Conclusion: This study found some preliminary evidence linking fresh/lean-pork consumption to a reduced risk of functional limitations. Future studies with longitudinal/experimental designs are warranted to examine the influence of fresh/lean-pork consumption on functional limitations.