Know2eat

Octopus

Octopus vulgaris

What octopus 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 octopus

An eight-armed cephalopod mollusc eaten across the Mediterranean, East Asia and Latin America, usually simmered or braised before grilling because the muscle is dense in collagen. The USDA entry here is the raw animal.

Also known as Pulpo, Polpo, Tako

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 octopus affecting blood lipids. Interest comes from its taurine content, but human taurine trials use isolated supplements at doses well above a portion of seafood and report inconsistent results.

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

2 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 established quality of seafood protein rather than from any trial using cephalopods.

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 Octopus

Ask about Octopus

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
Calories82 kcal4%
Protein14.9 g30%
Total fat1.04 g1%
Carbohydrate2.2 g1%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water80.3 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.227 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.162 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.239 g—
Cholesterol48 mg16%
EPA (omega-3)0.076 g—
DHA (omega-3)0.081 g—
DPA (omega-3)0.0060 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.0090 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A45 µg5%
Vitamin C5 mg6%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E1.2 mg8%
Vitamin K0.1 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.03 mg3%
Riboflavin (B2)0.04 mg3%
Niacin (B3)2.1 mg13%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.5 mg10%
Vitamin B60.36 mg21%
Folate16 µg4%
Vitamin B1220 µg833%
Choline65 mg12%
Minerals
Calcium53 mg4%
Iron5.3 mg29%
Magnesium30 mg7%
Phosphorus186 mg15%
Potassium350 mg7%
Sodium230 mg10%
Zinc1.68 mg15%
Copper0.435 mg48%
Manganese0.025 mg1%
Selenium44.8 µg81%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.6 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, octopus, common, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 174218).

% 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

    Molluscs are a separately declared allergen from crustaceans in the EU and several other jurisdictions. The dominant allergen is tropomyosin, which cross-reacts widely across shellfish and, in some people, with house dust mite.

  • Worth knowing

    Cadmium in the digestive gland

    Cephalopods concentrate cadmium in the digestive gland, where food safety agencies have measured levels well above those in the mantle and arms. Removing the viscera, which is standard practice, is what keeps intake low.

  • Worth knowing

    Live and raw service

    Octopus served live or raw carries a choking hazard from still-active suckers, documented in fatal cases, and skips any bacterial or parasite kill step.

  • Too much

    Sodium in canned and dried forms

    Much octopus reaches the table canned in brine or oil, or salted and dried, both of which raise sodium far above the raw entry named here.