Tuna is a lean nutrient-rich protein that offers many health benefits such as omega-3 fatty acids. These unsaturated fats which are abundant in tuna can improve your heart health by lowering your blood pressure and reducing inflammation and triglycerides (a type of fat) in your blood among other benefits. The USDA recommends adults eat 8 ounces of seafood per week as part of a healthy diet so choose wisely. Tuna is known to contain mercury a neurotoxin that can negatively impact your health and cause problems including muscle weakness according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Which types of canned tuna have the lowest mercury content?
Although mercury occurs naturally mercury from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources also enters the marine food chain. When larger fish eat smaller fish mercury accumulates in their bodies. The larger the fish the more mercury they can have. This plays a role in which tuna has the highest and lowest mercury levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that of all the tuna varieties they tested fresh or frozen bigeye tuna had the highest mercury levels. Canned light tuna which is typically skipjack had the lowest mercury levels. This may sound scary but don't worry: You're not as likely to get mercury poisoning from canned tuna. (And many types of non-canned tuna are also safe for most people as long as you're mindful of portion size and moderation.) Non-pregnant adults can safely eat two to three 4-ounce servings (the amount in a typical can) of canned light tuna per week according to the FDA. For canned albacore one 4-ounce serving per week is the recommended limit.
Once we delve into the different types of tuna available you’ll see why bigeye tuna has higher mercury levels than most other tuna species. Bigeye tuna develops more slowly growing to about 5 ½ feet in length. This combination of factors results in this type of fish having higher levels of mercury in its body when it reaches your plate. Interestingly the FDA doesn’t include bluefin tuna anywhere in its rankings of mercury levels in commercial fish. But as the largest tuna species—it can grow to more than 13 feet in length—bluefin tuna which is often used in sushi has higher levels of mercury than smaller species like yellowfin according to a 2010 study from the American Museum of Natural History and Rutgers University.
Canned tuna has the lowest mercury content of any tuna and skipjack is the most common fish used in this product. Skipjack is the smallest tuna species averaging 3 feet in length. Canned albacore — another larger tuna species — has a higher mercury content than most canned tuna about three times the amount found in canned skipjack and other light tuna on average. (But remember that most people can safely eat canned albacore in moderation.)
