Milkfish: a B12-rich fish nobody has trialled

The best trial near milkfish used trout. In an 8 week randomized, open-label trial of 95 adults with high blood lipids, eating fish lowered LDL cholesterol by 22.75 mg/dl while omega-3 capsules raised it by 18.7 mg/dl. A second 8 week trial gave smoked salmon to 38 young women with excess weight, and their LDL fell by 8.2 mg/dL while it rose 9.5 mg/dL in pair-matched controls, with no difference in total cholesterol, HDL or triglycerides. We found no trial or cohort on milkfish itself. What can be said firmly is what is in it. The USDA record for raw milkfish lists 3.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 per 3.5 oz (100 g), about 142% of the Daily Value, with 20.5 g protein and 6.4 mg niacin, from two records with no spread across samples.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• The USDA record for raw milkfish lists 3.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 per 3.5 oz (100 g), about 142% of the Daily Value, with 20.5 g protein and 6.4 mg niacin. — USDA SR Legacy FDC 173675 Fish, milkfish, raw; second record Fish, milkfish, cooked, dry heat (n = 2 records) Evidence E source
  Raw per 3.5 oz (100 g): vitamin B12 3.4 mcg, protein 20.53 g, niacin 6.44 mg; cooked dry heat per 3.5 oz (100 g): vitamin B12 3.27 mcg, protein 26.32 g, niacin 8.256 mg

What your body absorbs

• In an 8-week trial of 71 volunteers, eating cooked salmon raised serum EPA by 129% versus 106% with cod liver oil, despite supplying 1.2 g instead of 3.0 g of EPA and DHA a day. — 71 volunteers in five groups, 400 g fish per week or 15 mL/d cod liver oil, 8 weeks (n = 71) Evidence C source
  Cooked salmon: EPA +129%, DHA +45%; cod liver oil: EPA +106%, DHA +25%

What cooking and storage change

• By the USDA retention table for fish with more than 5% fat, baking keeps about 85% of vitamin B12 while frying without coating keeps 75%, and niacin stays at 100%. — USDA factors for the group Finfish and Shellfish Products, fish >5% fat; milkfish is not named individually Evidence E source
  Baked without drippings (2451): B12 85%, B6 90%, thiamin 95%, niacin 100%; fried without coating (2459): B12 75%, B6 90%, thiamin 85%, niacin 100%

What it does to your health

• In an 8-week randomized trial of 95 adults with high blood lipids, about 8.8 oz (250 g) of fish twice a week lowered LDL cholesterol by 22.75 mg/dl, while 2 g/day omega-3 capsules raised it by 18.7 mg/dl. — 106 patients with hyperlipidemia randomized, 95 analyzed, 8 weeks (n = 95) Evidence B source
  LDL +18.7 ± 24.97 (capsules) vs -22.75 ± 27.28 mg/dl (fish), P < 0.001; HDL up more with fish
• In an 8-week trial of 38 young women with excess weight, 7.1 oz (200 g) of smoked salmon a week lowered LDL by 8.2 mg/dL while LDL rose 9.5 mg/dL in controls. — 38 pair-matched women aged 18-30 years with BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2, 8 weeks (n = 38) Evidence B source
  LDL change -8.2 ± 20.7 vs +9.5 ± 20.0 mg/dL, p = 0.011; TC, HDL, TAG not different
• Across 35 observational studies mainly in older adults, people eating the most fish had an 18% lower likelihood of cognitive impairment or decline than those eating the least. — 35 observational studies, mean age > 50 years (n = 35 studies) Evidence C source
  Cognitive impairment/decline RR 0.82 (95% CI 0.75, 0.90); dementia RR 0.82 (0.73, 0.93); up to 30% lower risk at 150 g/d
• In nine cohorts with 57,394 people with type 2 diabetes, the highest fish intake was linked to 14% lower all-cause mortality, with the lowest risk near 2 to 3 servings a week. — Nine prospective cohort studies with 57,394 diabetic patients (n = 57394) Evidence C source
  All-cause mortality RR 0.86 (95% CI 0.76, 0.96); CHD RR 0.61 (0.29, 0.93); nadir about 2-3 servings/week

Safety, limits and interactions

• A Taiwanese risk assessment of farmed milkfish, tilapia, mullet, clam and oyster from blackfoot disease areas put the median cancer risk from their inorganic arsenic at about 2 in 100,000. — general Taiwanese consumers of fish and shellfish farmed in blackfoot disease areas Evidence C source
  50th percentile risk 2.06×10^-5; 95th percentile 8.77×10^-5

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU did not authorize a claim that eating farmed sea bass and gilthead sea bream twice a week helps maintain heart health. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims Evidence E source
  Status: Non-authorized

Who this works differently for

• Pooling 31 observational studies, greater fish intake during pregnancy was linked to lower food allergy in the offspring, with a pooled effect of 0.75, and to no change in asthma. — 31 studies on maternal fish consumption and offspring allergy (n = 31 studies) Evidence C source
  Food allergy 0.75 (95% CI 0.64-0.88); wheeze 0.97 (0.96-0.99); asthma 0.99 (0.89, 1.11)

The bottom line

Cooking costs a little. The USDA retention table for fish with more than 5% fat keeps about 85% of vitamin B12 when baked and 75% when fried without coating, and all the niacin either way. Milkfish is not named in that table. Cooked fish also delivers its omega-3 well. In an 8 week trial of 71 volunteers, cooked salmon raised serum EPA by 129% against 106% with cod liver oil, while supplying 1.2 g of EPA and DHA a day against 3.0 g. The abstract does not say the groups were randomized. The rest is about fish in general and comes from observational data. Across 35 studies in mostly older adults, people eating the most fish had an 18% lower likelihood of cognitive impairment or decline (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.90). In nine cohorts with 57,394 people with type 2 diabetes, the highest fish intake was linked to 14% lower all-cause mortality (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.96), lowest near 2 to 3 servings a week, and the link faded after adjusting for energy intake. Pooling 31 observational studies of fish in general, more fish in pregnancy went with less food allergy in the children (pooled effect 0.75, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.88) and no change in asthma, and none of them was about milkfish. The EU turned down a heart health claim for eating farmed sea bass and sea bream twice a week. Caution: a Taiwanese risk assessment of milkfish, tilapia, mullet, clam and oyster farmed in blackfoot disease areas, where arsenic is endemic, put the median cancer risk from inorganic arsenic at about 2 in 100,000 and the 95th percentile at 8.77 in 100,000. That model pooled five species and covered only those areas. We have no card on mercury, fish allergy, pregnancy limits or drug interactions for milkfish, so this page cannot say how much milkfish is safe in pregnancy.

Sources

1. mlkf-r1-01 · USDA SR Legacy, dataset
   Fish, milkfish, raw (FDC 173675, sr_legacy, Finfish and Shellfish Products): Vitamin B12 3.4 µg; Protein 20.53 g; Niacin 6.44 mg per 100 g || Fish, milkfish, cooked, dry heat: Vitamin B12 3.27 µg; Protein 26.32 g; Niacin 8.256 mg per 100 g
   USDA SR Legacy 2018, FDC 173675 · checked 2026-10-02
2. mlkf-r1-05 · clinical trial
   The serum content of EPA and DHA before and after intervention revealed a higher rise in EPA and DHA in the cooked salmon group (129% rise in EPA and 45% rise in DHA) as compared with CLO (106 and 25%, respectively) despite an intake of EPA and DHA in the CLO group of 3.0 g/d compared with 1.2 g/d in the cooked salmon group.
   Lipids, 2006 · checked 2026-10-02
3. mlkf-r1-02 · reference dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:2451 FINFISH,>5%FAT,BAKED,WO/DRIPPINGS — vitamin_b12_ug 85% · vitamin_b6_mg 90% · thiamin_mg 95% · niacin_mg 100% || USDA-RETN-R6:2459 FINFISH,>5%FAT,FRIED,WO/COATING — vitamin_b12_ug 75% · vitamin_b6_mg 90% · thiamin_mg 85% · niacin_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) · checked 2026-10-02
4. mlkf-r1-03 · RCT
   LDL level was increased in the supplementation group, while it was significantly reduced in the dietary-fish group (+18.7 ± 24.97 vs. -22.75 ± 27.28, P < 0.001).
   Nutr Diabetes, 2017 · checked 2026-10-02
5. mlkf-r1-04 · RCT
   However, differences in the change of the LDL concentration were noted, with a decrease of 8.2 ± 20.7 mg/dL in the intervention group compared to an increase of 9.5 ± 20.0 mg/dL in the control group (p = 0.011), as well as in the change of the Cholindex for which a median decrease of 4.4 mg/dL was noted in the intervention group, while a median increase of 0.8 mg/dL in the control group was observed (p = 0.040).
   Nutrients, 2024 · checked 2026-10-02
6. mlkf-r1-07 · meta-analysis of observational studies
   Individuals reporting the highest vs. the lowest fish consumption were associated with a lower likelihood of cognitive impairment/decline (RR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.75, 0.90, I2 = 61.1%), dementia (RR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.73, 0.93, I2 = 38.7%), and Alzheimer's disease (RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.96, I2 = 20.3%).
   Aging Clin Exp Res, 2024 · checked 2026-10-02
7. mlkf-r1-09 · meta-analysis of cohorts
   The relative risks for the highest compared with the lowest category of fish consumption were 0.86 (95% CI 0.76, 0.96; I2 = 50%, n = 8) for all-cause mortality, and 0.61 (95% CI 0.29, 0.93; I2 = 68%, n = 3) for CHD. There was a monotonic inverse association, with a nadir at fish consumption of approximately 2-3 servings/week, in both analyses.
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2021 · checked 2026-10-02
8. mlkf-r1-06 · risk assessment
   Five aquacultural species, tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus), milkfish (Chanos chanos), mullet (Mugil cephalus), clam (Meretrix lusoria) and oyster (Crassostrea gigas) were included. ... The integrated risk-based analysis indicates that the associated 50th and 95th percentile health risk are 2.06×10(-5) and 8.77×10(-5), respectively.
   J Hazard Mater, 2011 · checked 2026-10-02
9. mlkf-r1-10 · EU claim register
   POL-HC-7114 Food Category: Fish Food: Cultured Sea bass and Gilthead Sea bream Food Component / Nutrient: EPA & DHA Omega 3 Highly Unsaturated fatty acids Eating cultured sea bass and gilthead sea bream twice a week, as a rich source of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids and part of a healthy lifestyle, has been shown to help maintain heart health Non-authorised
   EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7114, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-02
10. mlkf-r1-08 · meta-analysis of observational studies
    Greater maternal fish intake was associated with a reduced risk of wheeze (Pooled effect size: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-0.99) and food allergy (0.75; 95% CI: 0.64-0.88). Maternal fish consumption was not associated with risk of asthma (pooled effect size: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.89, 1.11), eczema (pooled effect size: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.84, 1.03), allergic rhinitis (pooled effect size: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.75, 1.09), and inhalant allergy (pooled effect size: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.66, 1.13).
    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02