Know2eat

Cuttlefish

Sepia officinalis

What cuttlefish has been studied for

1 association assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

  • 1 Limited
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About cuttlefish

A broad-bodied cephalopod with an internal calcified cuttlebone, eaten widely around the Mediterranean and in East Asia and valued for the dark ink used to colour rice and pasta. The flesh is thicker and firmer than squid.

Also known as Sepia, Seppia, Choco

Muscle & Physical Performance

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance
Limited evidence

May support muscle protein synthesis as a lean complete protein, on the general evidence for seafood protein. No human study has used cuttlefish.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Cuttlefish

Ask about Cuttlefish

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories79 kcal4%
Protein16.2 g32%
Total fat0.7 g1%
Carbohydrate0.82 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Water80.6 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.118 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.081 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.134 g—
Cholesterol112 mg37%
EPA (omega-3)0.039 g—
DHA (omega-3)0.066 g—
DPA (omega-3)0.0060 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.0020 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A113 µg13%
Vitamin C5.3 mg6%
Thiamin (B1)0.0090 mg1%
Riboflavin (B2)0.91 mg70%
Niacin (B3)1.22 mg8%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.5 mg10%
Vitamin B60.15 mg9%
Folate16 µg4%
Vitamin B123 µg125%
Minerals
Calcium90 mg7%
Iron6.02 mg33%
Magnesium30 mg7%
Phosphorus387 mg31%
Potassium354 mg8%
Sodium372 mg16%
Zinc1.73 mg16%
Copper0.587 mg65%
Manganese0.11 mg5%
Selenium44.8 µg81%
Other measured compounds
Ash1.68 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Mollusks, cuttlefish, mixed species, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 174215).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    Mollusc shellfish allergy

    A cephalopod allergen with tropomyosin-driven cross-reactivity to squid, octopus, crustaceans and house dust mite. Cuttlefish ink used as a colouring is an easily missed source of exposure in black pasta and rice dishes.

  • Worth knowing

    Cadmium in the viscera

    Like other cephalopods, cuttlefish concentrate cadmium in the digestive gland. Cleaning the animal before cooking, which is standard, removes most of it.

  • Worth knowing

    Anisakis in raw preparations

    Cephalopods can carry Anisakis larvae. Thorough cooking or commercial freezing is the control step before any raw or lightly marinated service.