Contents
What it is
Salmon are born in rivers, grow at sea and return to the river of their birth to spawn. Almost all the salmon on sale today is farmed Atlantic salmon from Norway and Chile. The orange flesh comes from astaxanthin, a pigment the fish takes in with its food; in farming the pigment is added to the feed. It is fatty enough that it does not dry out easily when grilled, and it is eaten raw as well. Farmed and wild salmon differ in both how much fat they carry and the make-up of that fat.
Scientific name Salmo salar
The omega-3 fats your body actually uses are EPA and DHA. The ALA in nuts and seed oils is also an omega-3, but only a few percent of it converts to EPA and DHA inside you.
That is why salmon keeps getting recommended. Few foods supply EPA and DHA directly, without the conversion bottleneck, while also carrying meaningful vitamin D.
Key benefits
- Moderate evidence
It clearly lowers triglycerides
A Cochrane review of 86 randomised trials (162,796 participants) found that increasing omega-3 intake lowered triglycerides by about 15% (high-certainty evidence). The rest of its conclusions are sober, though: essentially no difference in all-cause mortality or cardiovascular events, and while coronary events fell slightly, 167 people had to take it for one to benefit. The authors noted that the evidence comes mainly from supplement trials and that there is little evidence on the effects of eating fish.[1]
- Nutrition data
It supplies vitamin D without sunlight
100 g of salmon holds about 11 µg (440 IU) of vitamin D. Very few foods contain it in meaningful quantities, which makes salmon especially valuable if you spend most of the day indoors or live through dark winters.
- Nutrition data
It provides protein that maintains muscle
Over 20 g of complete, highly digestible protein per 100 g. Omega-3s also appear to improve the muscle protein synthesis response, which is why salmon shows up so often in diets aimed at preventing age-related muscle loss.
- Nutrition data
It is structural material for brain and eyes
DHA is a primary structural fat in brain grey matter and the retina. Because DHA intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding is linked to infant visual and cognitive development, low-mercury fish is actively encouraged in pregnancy.
How to eat it well
- Twice a week, 100–150 g per serving is what most guidelines describe.
- Avoid long, high-heat cooking. Omega-3s are vulnerable to heat and oxygen. Medium heat in a pan, a 180°C oven, or gentle poaching all beat a hard, prolonged sear.
- The fat sits near the skin. Crisping it and eating it means less omega-3 lost.
- Canned salmon is a good option too — the softened bones add calcium, and it costs far less.
- Cooking with lemon or herbs helps slow the oxidation of those fats.
How to read the grades
Each benefit carries a label showing how far research on people supports it. Grades differ between items even within the same ingredient.
- Nutrition data
- A fact verifiable from food composition databases or health authorities. This is a different kind of statement from a clinical effect.
- Strong evidence
- Consistently confirmed across randomised controlled trials or meta-analyses.
- Moderate evidence
- Human studies exist, but effect sizes are small or results are mixed.
- Early research
- Cell or animal work, or small preliminary studies.
- Not established
- Commonly claimed, but not confirmed in studies on people.
What to watch out for
- Salmon is low in mercury, but the usual advice in pregnancy is still two to three servings a week at most.
- If you take anticoagulants, discuss high-dose omega-3 supplements with your clinician (eating the fish itself is usually fine).
- Smoked salmon is high in sodium and, because of how it is processed, is not recommended during pregnancy or for people who are immunocompromised.
- Avoid entirely if you have a fish allergy.
- Farmed and wild salmon differ somewhat in fatty acid profile, but both are good sources of EPA and DHA.
Nutrition
Per 100 g of raw farmed Atlantic salmon. A fillet portion usually runs 150–200 g. Cooking drives off water, so the same weight of cooked salmon shows somewhat higher protein than this table.
- Calories
- 208 kcal10%
- Protein
- 20.4 g41%
- Fat
- 13.4 g17%
- Omega-3
- 2.2 g
- Vitamin D
- 11 µg55%
- Vitamin B12
- 3.2 µg133%
- Iodine
- 3.2 µg2%
- Selenium
- 24 µg44%
- Potassium
- 363 mg8%
Percentages are of the US FDA Daily Value for adults and children 4 and over. National reference intakes differ by sex and age.
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Key nutrients
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Sources
The databases and health authorities this article's nutrition figures and health statements draw on.
- 1Omega-3 fatty acids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseaseMeta-analysisAbdelhamid AS, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020PMID 32114706
- 2USDA FoodData CentralFood composition database
- 3NIH Office of Dietary SupplementsHealth authority
- 4World Health Organization · Healthy dietHealth authority
- 5PubMedResearch literature
