Is It Safe To Eat Tuna During Pregnancy? - BabyCentre UK

Yes, tuna is good for you and your baby during pregnancy but try to limit the amount you eat. The same applies when you’re trying for a baby (NHS 2022). It's recommended that you eat no more than four cans of tuna or two fresh tuna steaks a week. This is because tuna can contain toxins, such as mercury, that are harmless to you but could affect your baby's development. Tuna is not an oily fish so if you love fish, you can eat a couple of portions of oily fish in addition to tuna and as much white fish, such as cod and haddock, as you like. Find out more about tuna portions in pregnancy.

Can you eat tuna when pregnant?

Yes, it is safe to eat tuna in pregnancy, although it's best to limit how much you have. The NHS recommends that you eat no more than the following each week:

Advertisement | page continues below

• four medium-sized cans of tuna (with a drained weight of 140g, or 5oz, per can) OR
• two fresh tuna steaks (weighing about 170g, or 6oz, raw or 140g when cooked)  (NHS 2023)

If you have both types of tuna, you could have two cans and one steak a week but no more than this.

The reason for these limits is that tuna contains mercury, which won’t harm you, but too much of it can harm your baby’s developing nervous system (CDC 2017, COT 2012). Tuna can also contain environmental pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (Barone et al 2018, Saktrakulkla et al 2020). When eaten over a long period of time, these can build up in your body, and may interfere with your baby’s development (Wang et al 2021, WHO 2016). VIDEO

What's the difference between fresh tuna and canned tuna in pregnancy?

Both fresh tuna and canned tuna have nutritional benefits for you and your baby if you stay within the above guidelines (NHS 2022, Oken 2022).

Advertisement | page continues belowFresh tuna is packed with protein, vitamins and minerals, and essential omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for your baby’s developing brain (BDA 2021, Oken 2022). It is also low in fat (DH 2013). Canned tuna is still good for you in moderation, as it can provide similar levels of fatty acids for you and your baby to fresh tuna, although it tends to be slightly lower in protein (DH 2013). It can also be lower in energy but this depends on whether it has been canned in spring water, brine or sunflower oil (DH 2013). Tuna canned in sunflower oil will be higher in fat and energy (DH 2013), while tuna canned in brine will be higher in salt. If you've bought tuna canned in brine, you could rinse the tuna for a few minutes to reduce the salt content.

Is tuna an oily fish?

Neither canned or fresh tuna count as oily fish (NHS 2022, 2023). Fresh tuna used to be considered an oily fish, but the Department of Health found that it contained lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids than thought (DH 2013). Tuna is more similar to white fish, such as cod, than oily fish like mackerel. This means that you can have the recommended amounts of tuna per week and still enjoy up to two portions of oily fish per week as well while you’re pregnant (NHS 2023). You can also have as many portions of some white fish, such as cod, haddock, plaice and pollock, as you like (NHS 2023).

How to have a healthy pregnancy:

• See whether other fish and seafood are safe to eat in pregnancy.
• Find out what supplements to take in pregnancy.
• Try our pregnancy meal planners.