In all honesty, we had never thought much about the nutritional content of semen . . . until Christina Aguilera brought it up. In an April 2023 episode of “Call Her Daddy,” Aguilera got candid about the importance of sexual exploration, self discovery, and yes, the protein content in semen. “There is something to be said after you put in the hard work,” she told host Alex Cooper, in reference to oral sex. “I think swallowing is really, you know, a good thing . . . and it’s got a lot of protein.”
To be fair, Aguilera isn’t the first to call out swallowing as something that can bolster pleasure for both parties – or the first to claim that semen has nutritional value. “It seems like every few years there’s a renewed interest in the nutritional value of semen – usually resurrected by a social media trend, a clip gone viral, or a salacious, click-baity news headline,” says Joshua Gonzalez, MD. “As a culture, we also seem to have an almost obsessive interest in semen – from what it does, to what it tastes like.”
Somatic sex educator Kiana Reeves has a theory behind these waves of interest. “It seems like everyone’s looking for a concrete ‘good reason’ to do things – like there has to be an immediate, tangible, quantifiable benefit we can point to in order to justify making a choice,” she says. “That’s true even when it comes to sex. So it may be that people want hard numbers on the ‘wellness benefits’ of consuming semen to justify it to themselves – or talk themselves into it, even when they don’t want to do it.”
At this point, the idea that semen has protein has also become a bit of a running joke (and in all fairness, we’ve heard that vaginas have protein too). So even if people like Aguilera don’t wholeheartedly believe these rumors to be true, it could be thrown into an interview like this for laughs, or to diffuse any potential awkwardness. But the question remains: does semen have protein? And if so, does it make any nutritional difference? To find out more, we asked experts about the the protein content in semen – and they hit us with the facts. Read on to see what they had to say, featuring the semen science you never knew you needed.
Experts Featured in This Article:
Joshua Gonzalez, MD, is a board-certified urologist and sexual health adviser at Astroglide.
Kiana Reeves is an AASECT-certified somatic sex educator and chief content officer at Foria.
Justin Houman, MD, is a board-certified urologist and an assistant professor at Cedars-Sinai.
Does Semen Have Protein?
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but you probably shouldn’t start skipping the protein shakes just yet. “The amount of protein in semen is pretty trivial,” Dr. Gonzalez says. “From a medical standpoint, there is really no nutritional or [any other] health benefit to swallowing semen.” The TL;DR? Swallowing ejaculate won’t contribute in any significant way toward your recommended daily protein intake.
Just to be clear (for when the health benefits of semen inevitably start trending again), Dr. Gonzalez breaks it down even further. According to a study published in the Journal of Andrology, 100ml of semen contains five grams (or 5,000 mg) of protein. However, “A normal ejaculation is typically 2-5 ml,” says Dr. Gonzalez. “That means there’s about 250mg (or 0.25g) of protein in 5ml (or about one teaspoon of semen).” For context, the FDA recommends that adults consume about 50 grams of protein per day as part of a 2,000-calorie diet, he says. Swallowing a typical amount of ejaculate is not going to make the slightest dent in that requirement.
Semen Nutrition Facts
There’s not a whole lot more to semen in terms of nutrition, but here’s the basic rundown. A teaspoon of semen also contains a small amount of calories (5-20), which is made up of what Dr. Gonzalez refers to as “a buffet of ingredients.” According to Justin Houman, MD, the primary components of semen are as follows:
- Sperm cells: the reproductive cells produced by the male reproductive system.
- Water: makes up the majority of semen’s volume.
- Various proteins: including enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, and other proteins that are involved in sperm function and reproductive processes.
- Fructose: a type of sugar that provides energy for sperm cells.
- Ascorbic acid (vitamin C): which is an antioxidant that helps protect sperm cells from oxidative damage.
- Minerals: such as zinc, calcium, and magnesium, which are important for sperm production and function.
Given ejaculate’s stores of vitamin C, it’s also been touted as a magical immune booster. But Dr. Gonzalez is myth-busting “pervasive rumors” that semen contains as much vitamin C as an orange. “There’s just no evidence that the orange claim is true,” he notes. Dr. Houman agrees, adding, “The amount of vitamin C in semen is relatively small, and it is not considered a major dietary source of this vitamin. The exact amount of vitamin C in semen can vary, but it is typically present in trace amounts.”
The only nutrient that ejaculate might deserve a tiny bit of credit for providing is zinc. Dr. Gonzalez says you can get around 3 percent of your recommended daily allowance of the trace mineral in one teaspoon of semen – but really, you’re better off eating zinc-rich foods like chicken, peanuts, beef, or hummus.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, none of the components in semen’s ingredient “buffet” are enough to make it a good source of any particular nutrient – protein included. If you actually want to add more protein to your diet, some better sources include eggs, almonds, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken and/or turkey breast, lean beef, fish, lentils, and quinoa, says Dr. Gonzalez. “That list allows for people with various dietary preferences and restrictions (from plant-based folks to pescatarians),” he says.
You’ll notice, one thing not on that list is semen, notes Dr. Gonzalez, who concludes that anyone looking to bolster their protein intake – and overall healthy diet – will need to look outside the bedroom. Inside the bedroom, Reeves encourages people to ask themselves: “Does swallowing make me feel closer and more bonded with my partner? Does it feel transgressive in a hot way, or coercive and degrading?” she says. “Those questions themselves can be the ‘essential nutrients’ for knowing and understanding each other better, and building trust and empathy – so much more valuable than a few trace minerals.”
– Additional reporting by Chandler Plante
Maressa Brown is a journalist, author, and astrologer. Her areas of expertise include writing, reporting, and editing lifestyle, pop culture, and parenting content that’s both conversational and substantive. In addition to contributing to PS, she writes for a variety of consumer-facing publications including InStyle, Parents, and Shape, and was previously an editor at Cosmopolitan and CafeMom.
Chandler Plante (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group.
