The Surprising Health Benefits Of Eating Squid Ink

Squid ink is a bluish black liquid that cephalopods, including squids (think calamari), excrete from a sac near their gills in order to obscure the water and hide from, or escape, a predator. It's long been a staple of Japanese and Mediterranean cuisines, thanks to its unique color and rich, savory flavor (via Healthline). While it is most commonly found in small amounts, lending its signature color and flavor to rice and pasta dishes, a little internet research will turn up all kinds of purported health benefits of consuming squid ink, from antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, to cancer fighting, blood pressure regulating, and immunity boosting properties. But, are any of the claims true?

To answer that, we should first look at what makes up squid ink. According to Berkeley Wellness, the dark liquid consists of mostly melanin, which makes sense, since that's the pigment that determines the darkness of your skin tone. In addition to the melanin, squid ink also contains amino acids (like glutamate, taurine, alanine, leucine, and aspartic acid), metals (like cadmium, lead, and copper), plus enzymes, polysaccharides, and catecholamines, or hormones. Whether or not there are tangible health benefits associated with ingesting these compounds is the real question.