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Canned light tuna

Katsuwonus pelamis

Also known as Chunk light tuna, Skipjack tuna, Tuna in water

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Almost always skipjack, a small fast-growing tuna, cooked and canned in water or oil. It is a distinctly different product from canned albacore, which comes from a larger, longer-lived species.

Heart HealthMuscle & Physical Performance

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Moderate evidence

Research suggests that regular fish intake, including canned tuna, is associated with lower triglycerides. Light tuna supplies less EPA and DHA per portion than oily fish, so the expected effect is smaller.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance
Limited evidence

May support muscle protein synthesis as a lean complete protein. Fish protein is high quality, but trials testing canned tuna specifically against other protein sources are few.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Cardiovascular risk markers

Heart Health
Insufficient evidence

Observational data links fish intake generally with lower cardiovascular risk, but canned tuna is rarely separated out in these analyses, and the leaner species contribute less omega-3 than the fish driving the association.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Canned light tuna

Ask about Canned light tuna

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories116 kcal6%
Protein25.5 g51%
Total fat0.82 g1%
Carbohydrate0 g0%
Fibre0 g0%
Total sugars0 g—
Water75.2 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.234 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.159 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.337 g—
Cholesterol30 mg10%
EPA (omega-3)0.047 g—
DHA (omega-3)0.223 g—
DPA (omega-3)0.0090 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.0090 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin C0 mg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.032 mg3%
Riboflavin (B2)0.074 mg6%
Niacin (B3)13.3 mg83%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.214 mg4%
Vitamin B60.35 mg21%
Folate4 µg1%
Vitamin B122.99 µg125%
Minerals
Calcium11 mg1%
Iron1.53 mg9%
Magnesium27 mg6%
Phosphorus163 mg13%
Potassium237 mg5%
Sodium50 mg2%
Zinc0.77 mg7%
Copper0.051 mg6%
Manganese0.011 mg0%
Selenium80.4 µg146%
Other measured compounds
Ash0.78 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, without salt, drained solids (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171986).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • with fatChanges omega-3 fatty acids

    Tuna canned in oil and then drained loses more of its own omega-3s into the discarded oil than tuna canned in water, where the fatty acids stay with the fish.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Mercury: light versus albacore

    Canned light tuna is skipjack and measures low in methylmercury; canned albacore or white tuna averages roughly three times higher, and bigeye tuna higher still. US advice allows several servings a week of light tuna but only about one of albacore for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

  • Allergy

    Fish allergy

    Tuna is a finned fish and a major regulated allergen; reactions can be severe.

  • Too much

    Sodium in canned product

    Standard canned tuna is salted during processing. No-salt-added versions exist and differ substantially; draining removes some but not most of the added sodium.

  • Worth knowing

    Scombroid poisoning from mishandled fish

    Tuna is a scombroid fish, and temperature-abused product accumulates histamine that cooking and canning do not destroy. This causes a flushing and headache reaction distinct from true allergy.