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Sorghum

Sorghum bicolor

Also known as Jowar, Milo, Great millet

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A drought-tolerant cereal eaten whole, milled into flour or popped, and free of gluten. The USDA reference entry is for the dry grain, which roughly triples in weight when boiled.

Blood Sugar & Metabolic HealthGut & Digestive HealthAntioxidant & Oxidative Stress

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood glucose response

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited. Small trials report a lower glucose response to sorghum than to refined grains, plausibly related to its slowly digested starch, but the human literature is sparse.

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

4 sources

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

Digestive comfort

Gut & Digestive Health
Limited evidence

Has been studied as a gluten-free cereal for people with coeliac disease, where the benefit comes from replacing wheat rather than from a property of sorghum itself.

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

1 source

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

Oxidative stress markers

Antioxidant & Oxidative Stress
Insufficient evidence

There is not enough human research to say whether the polyphenols in pigmented sorghum affect oxidative stress markers in people; the work so far is largely laboratory-based.

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.

Ask about Sorghum

Ask about Sorghum

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Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories329 kcal16%
Protein10.6 g21%
Total fat3.46 g4%
Carbohydrate72.1 g26%
Fibre6.7 g24%
Total sugars2.53 g—
Water12.4 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.61 g3%
Monounsaturated fat1.13 g—
Polyunsaturated fat1.56 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Linoleic acid (omega-6)1.49 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.5 mg3%
Thiamin (B1)0.332 mg28%
Riboflavin (B2)0.096 mg7%
Niacin (B3)3.69 mg23%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.367 mg7%
Vitamin B60.443 mg26%
Folate20 µg5%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium13 mg1%
Iron3.36 mg19%
Magnesium165 mg39%
Phosphorus289 mg23%
Potassium363 mg8%
Sodium2 mg0%
Zinc1.67 mg15%
Copper0.284 mg32%
Manganese1.6 mg70%
Selenium12.2 µg22%
Other measured compounds
Ash1.43 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: Sorghum grain (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169716).

% 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.

  • fermentedIncreases protein and mineral availability

    Fermenting sorghum, as in traditional porridges and beverages, lowers phytate and tannins and improves both protein digestibility and mineral availability.

  • sproutedReduces phytate and tannins

    Germination reduces phytate and condensed tannins and raises free amino acid content relative to the ungerminated grain.

Things to know

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

  • Worth knowing

    Tannins reduce protein and mineral availability

    High-tannin sorghum varieties bind dietary protein and non-heme iron, lowering how much is absorbed. This matters where tannin-rich sorghum is a dominant staple; most food-grade sorghum sold for human consumption is low-tannin.

  • Worth knowing

    Poorly digestible cooked protein

    Sorghum protein forms cross-links during wet cooking that make it noticeably less digestible than the protein of other cereals, a well-documented and unusual property of this grain.

  • Worth knowing

    Phytate and mineral absorption

    As with other whole cereals, sorghum phytate binds iron and zinc in the same meal. Fermentation and germination reduce it.