Tuna and yellowtail: one fish is well measured, the other barely at all

The strongest evidence on this page is about fish in general, and its effect is small. A meta-analysis of trials in 1,074 children aged 2 to 14 found that eating fish raised blood vitamin D by 4.08 nmol/L (95% CI 1.73 to 6.43), with no fish type named and the authors unsure the gain matters clinically. For tuna the firm numbers are about what is in it. Wild yellowfin measured 0.39 g of fat and 76.5 mcg of selenium per 3.5 oz (100 g) raw, across only 6 USDA samples. Canned light tuna in water gave about 0.2 g of DHA per 3.5 oz (100 g) drained. Yellowtail cannot be set beside these figures. None of the cards here measured both fish side by side, and US survey tables give yellowtail no portion at all. FDA and EPA leave it off their mercury chart. That absence means the agencies did not rate it, and it says nothing about how much mercury yellowtail holds.

How much is actually in it

• Wild yellowfin tuna is very lean: USDA measured 0.39 g of fat and 76.5 mcg of selenium per 3.5 oz (100 g) raw, across 6 samples. — USDA Foundation Foods samples of Tuna, ahi or yellowfin, frozen, wild caught (n = 6 samples) Evidence E source
  Fat 0.3875 g (range 0.3-0.54); selenium 76.52 mcg (68.7-85.0); protein 24.7 g (22.06-26.88); sodium 94.37 mg (26.5-243) per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• Canned light tuna in water carries about 0.2 g of DHA and under 1 g of fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) drained, by USDA sampling. — USDA Foundation Foods samples of Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids (n = 42 samples (fat), 30 (DHA)) Evidence E source
  Fat 0.94 g (0.6-1.27); DHA 0.197 g (0.144-0.272); EPA 0.025 g (0.015-0.04); vitamin D3 1.2 mcg (0.7-1.4, 4 samples) per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• UK tables put raw tuna at 107 calories and 0.7 g of fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), and tuna canned in brine at 0.32 g of omega-3 and 293 mg of sodium. — CoFID 2021 entries Tuna, flesh only, raw (16-399) and Tuna, canned in brine, drained (16-416) Evidence E source
  Raw: 107 calories, protein 25.2 g, fat 0.7 g, n-3 PUFA 0.09 g; canned in brine: 109 calories, protein 24.9 g, fat 1.0 g, n-3 PUFA 0.32 g, selenium 69 mcg, sodium 293 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• In US dietary surveys a standard can of tuna counts as 115 g and a tuna steak as 135 g. Yellowtail has no survey portion at all. — FNDDS portion weights for Fish, tuna, canned (26155110) and Fish, tuna, cooked (26153120) Evidence E source
  Canned: 1 small can or pouch 75 g, 1 standard can 115 g, 1 large can 255 g, 1 cup 135 g, unspecified 85 g; cooked: 1 fillet 90 g, 1 steak 135 g, unspecified 90 g

What your body absorbs

• In an RCT on 60 toddlers, tuna oil given as microencapsulated powder in formula raised blood DHA more than the same oil added as liquid. — 60 Malaysian toddlers aged 1 to 4, four formula groups of 15, one month (n = 60) Evidence B source
  Significantly higher blood DHA with both microencapsulated tuna oil powders than with plain high-DHA tuna oil; no effect on sleep or crying
• Omega-3 from fish flesh is absorbed well: cooked salmon raised serum EPA by 129% on 1.2 g a day, more than cod liver oil on 3.0 g a day. — 71 volunteers in five groups, 400 g fish per week or 1 tbsp (15 mL) cod liver oil daily, 8 weeks (n = 71) Evidence C source
  EPA +129%, DHA +45% with cooked salmon vs +106% and +25% with cod liver oil

What cooking and storage change

• Baking fish keeps 85 to 90% of its vitamin B12 by the USDA retention table, slightly less for fatty fish than for lean fish like tuna. — USDA retention factors for the group Finfish and Shellfish Products, the group both tuna and yellowtail belong to Evidence E source
  Finfish under 5% fat baked without drippings (2301): B12 90%, thiamin 90%, B6 90%; finfish over 5% fat baked without drippings (2451): B12 85%, thiamin 95%, B6 90%; minerals 100% in both

What it does to your health

• In an RCT on 53 pre-menopausal women, 1 g a day of omega-3 from DHA-rich tuna oil for 8 weeks cut blood triglycerides by 23%, while lower doses did not. — 53 healthy pre-menopausal women with mildly raised triglycerides, 0, 0.35, 0.7 or 1 g/day n-3 LCPUFA, 8 weeks (n = 53) Evidence B source
  Plasma TG -23% at 1 g/day; no reduction at 0.35 or 0.7 g/day
• In children, a meta-analysis of trials found eating fish raised blood vitamin D by about 4 nmol/L, with no clear effect on other micronutrients. — children aged 2 to 14, seven studies of which six randomized, 1,074 participants in the vitamin D pooling (n = 1074) Evidence A source
  25(OH)D pooled mean difference 4.08 nmol/L (95% CI 1.73-6.43) favoring fish

Safety, limits and interactions

• Pooled data from 1,295 Iranian canned tuna samples put mercury at 0.11 ug/g, lower than selenium at 2.23 ug/g in the same fish. — 23 articles, 1,295 canned tuna samples from Iran, 1983 to 2017 (n = 1295 samples) Evidence C source
  Mean wet weight Fe 13.17 > Zn 9.31 > Se 2.23 > ... > Hg 0.11 ug/g; THQ and TTHQ at or below 1 for adults and children
• Histamine poisoning comes mostly from tuna and marlin-type fish. Across 103 incidents the implicated fish averaged about 1,100 mg/kg of histamine. — 55 reports of 103 histamine poisoning incidents, 1959 to 2013 (n = 103 incidents) Evidence C source
  Mean histamine 1107.21 mg/kg (CI 422.62-2900.78), I2 100%; fish mainly tuna or Istiophoridae
• In 693 Iranian canned tuna samples, histamine averaged 77.9 mg/kg, under the 200 mg/kg FDA limit. — 11 studies, 693 canned tuna samples from Iran (n = 693 samples) Evidence C source
  Mean 77.86 mg/kg (95% CI 47.51-108.21); prevalence 9.19% (6.88-11.5%); adult THQ 0.10

What people believe that the data does not support

• White (albacore) canned tuna held about 3.5 times more mercury than light tuna in 168 US cans, and draining the oil or water did not lower it. — 168 cans of tuna bought in a New Jersey grocery store, 1998 to 2003 (n = 168) Evidence C source
  Total mercury mean 0.407 ppm white vs 0.118 ppm light; no difference oil vs water packing; draining had no effect

Who this works differently for

• A review of canned tuna worldwide found methylmercury hazard quotients above 1 for children in 12 countries, so a safe amount depends on where the tuna comes from. — published measurements of toxic elements in canned tuna across many countries, adults and children Evidence C source
  MeHg THQ above 1 for children in Tunisia, Malta, Portugal, Latvia, Cambodia, Peru, South Korea, Romania, Hong Kong, UAE, Morocco and Egypt; Cd, Pb, Ni above limits but THQ below 1
• In an RCT on 137 pregnant women, 14 oz (400 g) of cod a week for 16 weeks did not significantly raise hair mercury against their usual diet. — 137 pregnant women in Norway, 400 g cod fillets per week vs habitual diet, gestational weeks 20 to 36 (n = 137) Evidence B source
  Hair mercury median 554 vs 485 ug/kg (p = 0.186); 8% above 1,000 ug/kg, 6 intervention vs 4 control
• In the DOMInO RCT, 800 mg a day of DHA from tuna oil in late pregnancy did not change children's body fat at age 7, across 252 children. — 252 children aged 7 whose mothers took high-DHA tuna oil (800 mg/day DHA) or placebo from 20 weeks of gestation to delivery (n = 252) Evidence B source
  Body fat by BOD POD adjusted mean difference -0.35 (95% CI -1.46 to 2.16), by BIS 0.64 (-0.99 to 2.27); BMI z-score 0.18 (-0.10 to 0.45)

What is still unknown

• FDA and EPA rank canned light tuna as a Best Choice, albacore and yellowfin as Good Choices and bigeye tuna as a fish to avoid. Yellowtail is not on the chart. — FDA/EPA advice for people who are or may become pregnant, breastfeeding parents and children, page updated 03/05/2024 Evidence E source
  Tuna types split across all three mercury categories; yellowtail, amberjack and hamachi absent from the chart

The bottom line

Mercury is the reason the type of tuna matters. In 168 cans from one New Jersey store, bought between 1998 and 2003, white albacore held 0.407 ppm of mercury against 0.118 ppm in light tuna. Draining the oil or water did not lower it, and oil and water packs did not differ. FDA and EPA rank canned light tuna a Best Choice, albacore and yellowfin Good Choices, and bigeye tuna a fish to avoid, in advice written for people who are or may become pregnant, breastfeeding parents and children. Children carry most of the mercury risk in the modeling. A review of canned tuna worldwide found methylmercury hazard quotients above 1 for children in 12 countries, a risk model built on reported concentrations and assumed intakes. In 1,295 canned tuna samples from Iran, mercury averaged 0.11 ug/g against 2.23 ug/g of selenium, pooled concentrations from one market. In a Norwegian trial on 137 pregnant women, 14 oz (400 g) of cod a week for 16 weeks did not raise hair mercury significantly (median 554 against 485 ug/kg, p = 0.186). Cod is a low mercury fish, so that result cannot be carried over to albacore, bigeye or yellowtail. Histamine is the other real hazard. In 103 poisoning incidents drawn from outbreak reports, the fish was mainly tuna or marlin-type species and held about 1,107 mg/kg of histamine on average, with reports that varied completely from one another. In 693 canned tuna samples from Iran, histamine averaged 77.9 mg/kg, under the FDA limit of 200 mg/kg, a figure for one country's cans only. The omega-3 trials on this page gave people tuna oil in capsules or formula. In 53 pre-menopausal women with mildly raised triglycerides, 1 g a day of omega-3 from tuna oil for 8 weeks cut triglycerides by 23%, and 0.35 or 0.7 g a day did nothing measurable. A 3.5 oz (100 g) serving of canned light tuna holds about 0.2 g of DHA, far below that dose. In the DOMInO trial, 800 mg a day of DHA from tuna oil in late pregnancy left body fat unchanged in 252 children at age 7. A standard can counts as 115 g in US surveys and a tuna steak as 135 g. Baking lean fish keeps about 90% of its vitamin B12 by the USDA retention table, a factor set for the whole fish group in 1975.

Sources

1. tyt-r2-01 · USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, dataset
   Tuna, ahi or yellowfin, frozen, wild caught (FDC 2747673, Foundation): Total lipid (fat) 0.3875 g, range 0.3-0.54, samples 6; Selenium 76.52 ug, range 68.7-85.0, samples 6; Protein 24.7 g, range 22.0625-26.875; Sodium 94.37 mg, range 26.5-243.0, samples 6
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30, FDC 2747673 · checked 2026-10-03
2. tyt-r2-02 · USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, dataset
   Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids (Foundation): Total lipid (fat) 0.94 g, range 0.6-1.27, samples 42; PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA) 0.197 g, range 0.144-0.272, samples 30; PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA) 0.025 g, range 0.015-0.04, samples 30; Vitamin D3 1.2 ug, range 0.7-1.4, samples 4
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30, Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids · checked 2026-10-03
3. tyt-r2-03 · CoFID 2021, dataset
   CoFID 16-399 Tuna, flesh only, raw: Energy 107 kcal; Protein 25.2 g; Fat 0.7 g; n-3 poly /100g food 0.09 g. CoFID 16-416 Tuna, canned in brine, drained: Energy 109 kcal; Protein 24.9 g; Fat 1.0 g; n-3 poly /100g food 0.32 g; Selenium 69 ug; Sodium 293 mg
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England / OGL v3.0, codes 16-399 and 16-416 · checked 2026-10-03
4. tyt-r2-05 · FNDDS portion weights, dataset
   Fish, tuna, canned (FNDDS 26155110, fdc 2706311): 1 small can 75 g; 1 standard can 115 g; 1 large can 255 g; 1 pouch 75 g; 1 cup 135 g; Quantity not specified 85 g. Fish, tuna, cooked (FNDDS 26153120, fdc 2706310): 1 small/regular fillet 90 g; 1 steak 135 g; Quantity not specified 90 g
   USDA FNDDS, FDC 2706311 and 2706310 · checked 2026-10-03
5. tyt-r2-13 · randomized controlled trial
   The results showed an enhanced bioavailability with significantly greater concentrations of blood DHA levels in formulas with microencapsulated powders.
   Nutrients, 2020 · checked 2026-10-03
6. tyt-r2-14 · controlled clinical trial in humans
   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 2026-10-03
7. tyt-r2-04 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:2301 FINFISH,<5%FAT,BAKED,WO/DRIPPINGS: vitamin_b12_ug 90%, thiamin_mg 90%, vitamin_b6_mg 90%, zinc_mg 100%; USDA-RETN-R6:2451 FINFISH,>5%FAT,BAKED,WO/DRIPPINGS: vitamin_b12_ug 85%, thiamin_mg 95%, vitamin_b6_mg 90%, zinc_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Codes 2301 and 2451 · checked 2026-10-03
8. tyt-r2-15 · randomized controlled trial
   Supplementation with 1 g/day n-3 LCPUFA, but not lower doses, reduced plasma TG by 23% in pre-menopausal women.
   Nutrients, 2018 · checked 2026-10-03
9. tyt-r2-17 · meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
   Meta-analysis was possible only for vitamin D (25(OH)D, 1,074 participants), showing a pooled mean difference of 4.08 nmol/L (95% CI: 1.73-6.43) favoring fish consumption; sensitivity analysis (850 participants) yielded 3.46 nmol/L (95% CI: 1.03-5.65), with no heterogeneity.
   Front Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-10-03
10. tyt-r2-09 · meta-analysis of food contaminant data
    The ranking order of metals based on mean concentrations (μg/g wet weight) were Fe (13.17) > Zn (9.31) > Se (2.23) > Al (1.8) > Cr (1.63) > Cu (1.52) > As (0.38) > Ni (0.33) > Pb (0.24) > Cd (0.14) > Hg (0.11) > Sn (0.1).
    Food Chem Toxicol, 2018 · checked 2026-10-03
11. tyt-r2-10 · meta-analysis of outbreak reports
    histamine mean concentration in poisoning samples was 1107.21 mg/kg with confidence interval for the meta-mean of 422.62-2900.78 mg/kg ... Fish involved in histamine poisoning was mainly tuna or Istiophoridae species.
    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-10-03
12. tyt-r2-11 · meta-analysis of food contaminant data
    The mean concentration was calculated as 77.86 mg kg−1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 47.51 to 108.21 mg kg−1), which was lower than the 200 mg kg−1 recommended limit by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
    J Food Prot, 2018 · checked 2026-10-03
13. tyt-r2-07 · food contaminant survey
    We found that white-style tuna had significantly more total mercury (mean 0.407 ppm) than light-style tuna (mean 0.118 ppm) ... There were no significant differences in mercury levels in tuna packed in oil compared to water.
    Environ Res, 2004 · checked 2026-10-03
14. tyt-r2-08 · systematic review of contaminant data
    Moreover, the THQ value due to Me Hg for adult in Tunisia and for children in Tunisia, Malta, Portugal, Latvia, Cambogia, Peru, South Korea, Romania, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Egypt was higher than 1 value.
    Int J Environ Health Res, 2024 · checked 2026-10-03
15. tyt-r2-12 · randomized controlled trial
    Post-intervention, the intervention group had median (inter-quartile range) THHg concentrations of 554 (392-805) µg/kg, and the control group 485 (341-740) µg/kg (p = 0.186).
    Environ Int, 2020 · checked 2026-10-03
16. tyt-r2-16 · randomized controlled trial
    There were no differences between the DHA and placebo groups in percentage body fat as assessed by either BOD POD [adjusted mean difference: -0.35, 95% CI: -1.46, 2.16; P=0.71] or BIS [adjusted mean difference: 0.64, 95% CI: -0.99, 2.27; P=0.44].
    Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids, 2018 · checked 2026-10-03
17. tyt-r2-06 · government advice page
    Tuna, canned light (includes skipjack) ... Tuna, albacore/white tuna, canned and fresh/frozen ... Tuna, yellowfin ... Tuna, bigeye
    FDA/EPA, Advice about Eating Fish, updated 2024 · checked 2026-10-03