What are the health benefits of salmon? Salmon is a nutrient dense fish, and some of the key health benefits are supporting heart health, boosting brain function while protecting eye health. One 3oz serving of cooked Salmon contains the following:
- 175 calories
- 11 grams of fat
- 19 grams of fat
- 52 milligrams of sodium
- 2 milligrams of Omega 3 fatty acids
- 2 micrograms of vitamin B-12
- 35 micrograms of selenium
- 11 micrograms of vitamin D
- 7 milligrams of niacin
- 1 milligram of vitamin B5
- 214 milligrams of phosphorus
What are the health benefits of salmon? iStock-photo credit: Nadiia Borovenko
Heart Health Benefits
The Omega 3 fatty acids in salmon have a tremendous amount of heart healthy nutrients. They can help decrease blood pressure levels, lower triglycerides while reducing bad cholesterol levels. A small amount of salmon in your diet can protect your cognitive function while improving your memory and thinking abilities.
Inflammation
The Omega 3 fatty acids in fish have positive anti-inflammatory effects on it. The FDA recommends eating fish at least two servings of fish weekly. It is also high in antioxidants and what that will do is reduce inflammation in the body while preventing damage to your cells.
It has been shown in numerous studies that salmon provides protection against inflammation. Chronic studies show that inflammation is a key factor in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, etc.
Research studies show that eating once a week is linked to a lower risk of depression in women. The protein in salmon is important for building and maintaining lean muscle mass and maintaining the health of your skin and nails.
Vitamin D
Salmon provides more than half of the recommended daily amount of Vitamin D. And Vitamin D is critical for bone health and lowering the risk of osteoporosis.
Salmon is safe to eat when it is fully cooked but if you eat it while it is raw or uncooked it can raise the risk of illness because of potential parasites or bacteria.
A 2021 study done on 4,105 people revealed that frequent consumption of fish was linked to lower levels of white blood cells and this is a measure of chronic inflammation. Those same studies show that eating salmon or other types of seafood has reduced several markers of inflammation.
The Bottom Line is the health benefits of salmon are positive heart health, bone health, brain health and protection against inflammation.
If you have any interest in trying any of our online diet and weight loss programs to help you shed body fat and achieve your best body, then click on the link below.
About Author- Obi Obadike
About Obi Obadike – Welcome to Obi Obadike | World Renowned Fitness Expert
References
- Kavyani Z, Musazadeh V, Fathi S, Hossein Faghfouri A, Dehghan P, Sarmadi B. Efficacy of the omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers: An umbrella meta-analysis. Int Immunopharmacol. 2022 Oct;111:109104. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109104. Epub 2022 Jul 30. PMID: 35914448.
- Djuricic I, Calder PC. Beneficial Outcomes of Omega-6 and Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Human Health: An Update for 2021. Nutrients. 2021 Jul 15;13(7):2421. doi: 10.3390/nu13072421. PMID: 34371930; PMCID: PMC8308533.
- Pahwa R, Goyal A, Jialal I. Chronic Inflammation. [Updated 2023 Aug 7]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/
- Tani S, Kawauchi K, Atsumi W, Matsuo R, Ashida T, Imatake K, Suzuki Y, Yagi T, Takahashi A, Matsumoto N, Okumura Y. Association among daily fish intake, white blood cell count, and healthy lifestyle behaviors in an apparently healthy Japanese population: implication for the anti-atherosclerotic effect of fish consumption. Heart Vessels. 2021 Jul;36(7):924-933. doi: 10.1007/s00380-020-01769-9. Epub 2021 Jan 7. PMID: 33411013.
