Know2eat

Lobster

Homarus americanus

What lobster has been studied for

2 associations assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.

  • 2 Insufficient
4 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About lobster

A large clawed marine crustacean of the cold North Atlantic, sold live and cooked to order. The USDA entry here is the raw tail and claw meat rather than a finished dish.

Also known as American lobster, Northern lobster, Maine lobster, Homard

Heart HealthMuscle & Physical Performance

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Insufficient

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.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for lobster affecting blood lipids. Shellfish is high in cholesterol and low in saturated fat, a combination whose net effect on LDL differs between people and has been tested with shrimp rather than lobster.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

4 sources

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

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance
Insufficient evidence

May support muscle protein synthesis as a very lean complete protein. Support comes from the protein quality of seafood generally rather than from any trial using lobster.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Lobster

Ask about Lobster

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
Calories77 kcal4%
Protein16.5 g33%
Total fat0.75 g1%
Carbohydrate0 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water81 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.181 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.22 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.296 g—
Cholesterol127 mg42%
EPA (omega-3)0.102 g—
DHA (omega-3)0.068 g—
DPA (omega-3)0.0060 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.033 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A1 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.87 mg6%
Vitamin K0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.02 mg2%
Riboflavin (B2)0.014 mg1%
Niacin (B3)1.59 mg10%
Pantothenic acid (B5)1.45 mg29%
Vitamin B60.104 mg6%
Folate10 µg3%
Vitamin B121.25 µg52%
Choline70.3 mg13%
Minerals
Calcium84 mg6%
Iron0.26 mg1%
Magnesium38 mg9%
Phosphorus161 mg13%
Potassium200 mg4%
Sodium423 mg18%
Zinc3.53 mg32%
Copper1.35 mg150%
Manganese0.056 mg2%
Selenium63.6 µg116%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.88 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: Crustaceans, lobster, northern, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 174208).

% 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

    Crustacean allergy

    Lobster is among the crustaceans most often implicated in severe food-induced anaphylaxis. Tropomyosin cross-reactivity means someone who reacts to shrimp should generally regard lobster, crab and crayfish as unsafe unless a clinician has established otherwise.

  • Worth knowing

    Tomalley and accumulated toxins

    The green tomalley is the hepatopancreas, the organ that concentrates paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins, domoic acid, PCBs and cadmium. The FDA and state agencies have advised consumers not to eat lobster tomalley, and that advice becomes an outright closure during algal bloom events. The tail and claw meat is not the concern.

  • Too much

    Sodium and the way it is served

    Lobster is boiled in salted water and served with drawn butter, so the finished plate carries considerably more sodium and saturated fat than the lean meat itself suggests.

  • Too much

    Cholesterol and purines

    Lobster is high in dietary cholesterol and moderately high in purines, the latter placing it on the limit list in gout dietary guidance.