Tuna salad with egg: what the egg adds

We found no study of tuna salad with egg as a dish, so this page is built from research on its parts. The strongest of it is about eggs alone. A meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials in 3,673 children aged 6 to 59 months in sub-Saharan Africa found that egg-based feeding raised weight-for-age by 0.33 z (95% CI 0.11 to 0.55) in settings with child malnutrition, and did not change height-for-age. The egg also changes what you absorb from the vegetables beside it. In 16 healthy young men eating single test meals of raw vegetable salad with no tuna, adding 5.3 oz (150 g) of cooked whole egg raised absorption of carotenoids that eggs do not contain 3 to 8 fold. A similar trial measured vitamin E as alpha-tocopherol, which reached 981 against 117 nmol/L over 10 hours with 5.3 oz (150 g) of egg, while 2.6 oz (75 g) of egg did no better than the salad alone. In the US survey database, a recipe-based composite rather than a lab measurement, tuna salad with egg has 190 calories, 10.28 g protein and 393 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), and a cup weighs 8.4 oz (238 g).

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• In the US survey food database, tuna salad with egg has 190 calories, 10.28 g protein, 393 mg sodium and 56 mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz (100 g). — Tuna salad with egg, FNDDS food code 27450100 Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: 190 calories, protein 10.28 g, sodium 393 mg, cholesterol 56 mg

What a real portion looks like

• In the US dietary survey a cup of tuna salad with egg weighs 8.4 oz (238 g), about 452 calories and 935 mg sodium. — Tuna salad with egg, FNDDS food code 27450100 Evidence E source
  1 cup 238 g, quantity not specified 119 g

What your body absorbs

• In a crossover RCT on 16 young men, adding 5.3 oz (150 g) of cooked whole egg to a raw vegetable salad raised carotenoid absorption 3 to 8 fold for carotenoids not found in eggs. — Healthy young men (n = 16), single test meals (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Total carotenoid AUC 125.7 vs 14.9 nmol/L x 10 h, P < 0.0001
• In a crossover RCT on 16 young men, 5.3 oz (150 g) of cooked egg with a raw vegetable salad raised alpha-tocopherol absorption about 8 fold versus the salad alone. — 16 healthy young men, mean age 24 years (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Alpha-tocopherol AUC 981 vs 117 nmol/L x 10 h, P < 0.05
• In a small randomized crossover study on 9 men, carrots eaten with mayonnaise raised blood beta-carotene more than carrots alone or carrot juice. — nine adult males, single test meals (n = 9) Evidence B source
  Higher incremental AUC of serum beta-carotene with mayonnaise

What it does to your health

• Observational data link egg intake near 50 g a day with a 9% lower risk of cognitive decline. — 13 longitudinal and 8 cross-sectional studies, 99,453 individuals (n = 99453) Evidence C source
  RR 0.91 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.99), U-shaped

Safety, limits and interactions

• For pregnancy and breastfeeding FDA and EPA advise 2 to 3 servings a week of Best Choices such as canned light tuna, or 1 serving of Good Choices such as albacore tuna, with 1 serving being 4 ounces. — people who are pregnant or breastfeeding and children ages 1 to 11 years Evidence E source
  2 to 3 servings a week from Best Choices or 1 serving from Good Choices, 1 serving is 4 ounces
• FDA counts pregnant women and their unborn or newborn babies, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems as the high-risk groups for serious effects of listeriosis. — pregnant women and their unborn or newborn baby, adults over the age of 65, people with weakened immune systems Evidence E source
  Named as high-risk groups susceptible to the serious and adverse effects of listeriosis
• Pooled data from 23 Iranian studies put mercury in canned tuna at a mean 0.11 microg/g wet weight. — 23 articles and 1295 canned tuna samples, Iran (n = 1295 samples) Evidence C source
  Hg mean 0.11 microg/g, THQ at or below 1.0
• Observational data link eating fish including tuna in 3-year-olds with 120% higher toenail mercury than eating no fish. — 700 three-year-old children, New Hampshire Birth Cohort (n = 700) Evidence C source
  +120% (95% CI 82% to 164%) for other fish including tuna
• According to FDA and EPA advice for pregnancy and children, albacore or white tuna typically contains three times more mercury than canned light tuna. — people who are or might become pregnant or breastfeeding, children 1 to 11 Evidence E source
  Albacore about 3x the mercury of canned light tuna
• Observational data show 93.4% of egg-allergic children tolerated boiled egg yolk at an oral food challenge. — 123 children with egg allergy, median age 12 months (n = 123) Evidence C source
  115 of 123 tolerant

What people believe that the data does not support

• An umbrella review of 14 meta-analyses found no association between high and low egg intake and cardiovascular outcomes or all-cause mortality. — Fourteen meta-analyses (10 observational, 4 interventional) (n = 14 meta-analyses) Evidence C source
  LDL WMD 7.39 mg/dL (95% CI 5.82 to 8.95), very weak evidence

Who this works differently for

• By a meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials in 3673 children under five in sub-Saharan Africa, egg-based feeding raised weight-for-age by 0.33 z but did not change height-for-age. — Seven studies involving 3673 children aged 6-59 months (n = 3673) Evidence A source
  WAZ MD 0.33 (95% CI 0.11 to 0.55), HAZ MD 0.05 (95% CI -0.05 to 0.14)

The bottom line

The mayonnaise may help in a similar way. In a randomized crossover study on 9 men, carrots eaten with mayonnaise raised blood beta-carotene more than carrots alone or carrot juice, although the abstract gives no size for the difference. Mercury is the caution with the tuna, and the type of tuna matters. FDA and EPA advice for people who are or might become pregnant or breastfeeding, and for children aged 1 to 11, says albacore, or white tuna, typically contains three times more mercury than canned light tuna. We have no card on how many servings a week that advice allows, so this page cannot tell a pregnant reader or a parent how often this salad fits. Check the FDA/EPA advice itself before making it a regular meal. In 700 three-year-olds in New Hampshire, eating fish including tuna went with 120 percent higher toenail mercury than eating no fish (95% CI 82 to 164 percent), a marker of exposure with no health outcome measured. Across 1,295 canned tuna samples from the Iranian market, mercury averaged 0.11 micrograms per gram of wet weight. The egg brings the allergy question. In a single center, 115 of 123 egg-allergic children with a median age of 12 months (93.4 percent) tolerated boiled egg yolk at a supervised food challenge, a result about yolk alone, while this salad contains whole egg. Those challenges were run under medical supervision, and the result is not a reason to test an egg-allergic child at home. Eggs still carry a reputation for harming the heart. An umbrella review of 14 meta-analyses found no association between high and low egg intake and any cardiovascular outcome or death from any cause. That answer stays soft because most of the pooled studies were observational and the authors rated the overall quality critically low. Observational data from 99,453 people, mainly in Asia and the US, link eating close to 1.8 oz (50 g) of egg a day with a 9 percent lower risk of cognitive decline (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.99). That is an association and does not show the egg caused it. We have no card on Listeria in ready-made tuna salad or on how long it keeps in the fridge, so this page cannot say that a shop-bought deli salad is safe in pregnancy.

Sources

1. tswe-r3-11 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Tuna salad with egg (FNDDS 27450100, fdc_id 2706840): Energy 190 KCAL; Protein 10.28 G; Sodium, Na 393 MG; Cholesterol 56 MG per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS, FDC 2706840 (food code 27450100) · checked 2026-10-01
2. tswe-r3-12 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Tuna salad with egg (FNDDS 27450100, fdc_id 2706840): 1 cup 238 g; Quantity not specified 119 g
   USDA FNDDS, FDC 2706840 (food code 27450100) · checked 2026-10-01
3. tswe-r3-01 · RCT
   The TRL AUC(0-10h) of lutein and zeaxanthin increased 4-5-fold (P < 0.001), and the TRL AUC(0-10h) of carotenoid not present in eggs, including α-carotene, β-carotene, and lycopene, increased 3-8-fold (P < 0.01) for the HE meal compared with the control meal.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2015 · checked 2026-10-01
4. tswe-r3-02 · RCT
   The α-tocopherol 0- to 10-h AUCs (AUCs0-10 h) in TRLs was higher (P < 0.05) for the HE trial (least-squares mean ± SE: 981 ± 162 nmol/L ⋅ 10 h) than for the LE (311 ± 162 nmol/L ⋅ 10 h) and CON (117 ± 162 nmol/L ⋅10 h) trials, which did not differ from one another.
   J Nutr, 2016 · checked 2026-10-01
5. tswe-r3-03 · RCT
   The incremental areas under the curves of serum β-carotene concentration were higher following MS than following both CON and JU.
   J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo), 2011 · checked 2026-10-01
6. tswe-r3-10 · meta-analysis (observational)
   Egg consumption closest to 50 g/day was longitudinally linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline (pooled RR = 0.91; 95%CI = 0.83-0.99)
   J Hum Nutr Diet, 2026 · checked 2026-10-01
7. sf-fish-r2-9 · agency advice
   1 serving is 4 ounces ... Eat 2 to 3 servings a week from the "Best Choices" list (OR 1 serving from the "Good Choices" list). ... Tuna, canned light (includes skipjack) Best Choice ... Tuna, albacore/white tuna, canned and fresh/frozen Good Choice
   FDA and EPA, Advice about Eating Fish · checked 2026-10-08
8. sf-listeriarisk-tunasalegg-1 · agency advice
   Pregnant women and their unborn or newborn baby, adults over the age of 65, and those with weakened immune systems, are all considered to be high-risk groups that are susceptible to the serious and adverse effects of listeriosis.
   Listeria (Listeriosis), US Food and Drug Administration, At-Risk Groups · checked 2026-10-08
9. tswe-r3-06 · meta-analysis (observational)
   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 2026-10-01
10. tswe-r3-07 · cohort
    To a lesser extent, children consuming "other fish (not fried) including tuna" and "fried fish or fish sticks" had 120% (95% CI: 82%, 164%), and 23% (95% CI: 2%, 51%) higher toenail concentrations, respectively, than those consuming no fish.
    Environ Res, 2024 · checked 2026-10-01
11. tswe-r3-08 · agency advice
    Albacore tuna, also known as white tuna, typically contains three times more mercury than canned light tuna.
    US FDA, Questions and Answers from the FDA/EPA Advice about Eating Fish · checked 2026-10-01
12. tswe-r3-09 · retrospective cohort
    Of the 123 egg yolk OFCs, 115 (93.4%) patients were tolerant and consumed egg yolk at home.
    Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol, 2026 · checked 2026-10-01
13. tswe-r3-05 · umbrella review
    No evidence of association was found among all cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality risk between high vs. low egg consumption.
    Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2025 · checked 2026-10-01
14. tswe-r3-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    Egg-based intervention significantly improved WAZ (MD: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.11-0.55) and WHZ (MD: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.12-0.48). However, no significant effect was observed on HAZ (MD: 0.05; 95% CI: -0.05-0.14).
    J Nutr Sci, 2026 · checked 2026-10-01