The short answer
Not especially. A tin of light tuna (120 g, drained) gives about 1.6 mg of iron, 9% of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need. Fresh ahi (yellowfin) has less: about 0.9 mg per 100 g cooked, so a 150 g steak gives about 1.4 mg. Much of it is heme iron, the kind your body takes in most easily, and tuna helps the iron in beans or greens on the same plate in.
- mg1.6In one portion: 1 tin, drained
- %9Of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need
- mg1.3Per 100 g, as eaten
Ahi, bluefin, canned: iron by kind
Per 100 g, from USDA's record for each. Canned light tuna and skipjack carry the most, ahi (yellowfin) and albacore the least. None of them is high in iron on its own.
| Kind | Iron per 100 g | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Light tuna, canned in water, drained | 1.63 mg | Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids |
| Skipjack, cooked | 1.6 mg | Fish, tuna, skipjack, fresh, cooked, dry heat |
| Light tuna, canned in oil, drained | 1.39 mg | Fish, tuna, light, canned in oil, drained solids |
| Bluefin, cooked | 1.31 mg | Fish, tuna, fresh, bluefin, cooked, dry heat |
| Albacore (white tuna), canned in water | 0.97 mg | Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, drained solids |
| Ahi (yellowfin), cooked | 0.92 mg | Fish, tuna, yellowfin, fresh, cooked, dry heat |
| Ahi (yellowfin), raw, as in poke or sashimi | 0.77 mg | Fish, tuna, fresh, yellowfin, raw |
How it compares
Iron per portion, next to other foods on the fish shelf.
What helps its iron in
Heme iron
Iron from meat and fish gets in well, and more when your stores are low. Calcium still holds some of it back.
Hallberg L, Hultén L, Gramatkovski E (1997), Am J Clin Nutr. Over five days of a whole diet, blood donors with ferritin around 37 µg/L absorbed 35% of the heme iron, men with fuller stores 23%.It helps plant iron in
A little meat or fish on the plate lets in more iron from the beans, grains and greens next to it.
Baech SB, et al. (2003), Am J Clin Nutr. 50 g of pork added to a meal of rice, peas and bread raised its plant-iron absorption by 44%, and 75 g by 57%. 25 g made no clear difference.
Get more from it
- Serve it with beans, lentils or greens: it helps their iron in.
Questions
How much iron is in tuna?
About 1.3 mg per 100 g, so 1 tin, drained (120 g) gives about 1.6 mg. The number is from USDA FoodData Central: Fish, tuna, light, canned in oil, drained solids.
Is the iron in tuna easy to absorb?
Yes, as food iron goes. Heme iron gets in by its own route, and more of it when your stores are low. Calcium is the one thing on the plate that still holds some of it back.
What should I eat with tuna for iron?
Beans, lentils or greens. A little meat or fish lets in more iron from the plant foods beside it. Add a vitamin C helper for the plant part, and drink water rather than tea or coffee.
Is ahi tuna high in iron?
No. Ahi is yellowfin tuna, with about 0.9 mg of iron per 100 g cooked and 0.8 mg raw, so a 150 g steak gives about 1.4 mg, 8% of the 18 mg a day women aged 19 to 50 need. Much of it is heme iron, which gets in well, but there is not much of it.
Which tuna has the most iron?
Canned light tuna, at about 1.6 mg per 100 g packed in water, and skipjack. Albacore (white) tuna and ahi have under 1 mg per 100 g.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Fish, tuna, light, canned in oil, drained solids
- USDA FoodData Central: Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids
- USDA FoodData Central: Fish, tuna, skipjack, fresh, cooked, dry heat
- USDA FoodData Central: Fish, tuna, light, canned in oil, drained solids
- USDA FoodData Central: Fish, tuna, fresh, bluefin, cooked, dry heat
- USDA FoodData Central: Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, drained solids
- USDA FoodData Central: Fish, tuna, yellowfin, fresh, cooked, dry heat
- USDA FoodData Central: Fish, tuna, fresh, yellowfin, raw
- Hallberg L, Hultén L, Gramatkovski E. Iron absorption from the whole diet in men: how effective is the regulation of iron absorption?. Am J Clin Nutr, 1997
- Hurrell R, Egli I. Iron bioavailability and dietary reference values. Am J Clin Nutr, 2010
- Baech SB, et al.. Nonheme-iron absorption from a phytate-rich meal is increased by the addition of small amounts of pork meat. Am J Clin Nutr, 2003
- Cook JD, Monsen ER. Food iron absorption in human subjects. III. Comparison of the effect of animal proteins on nonheme iron absorption. Am J Clin Nutr, 1976
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron: fact sheet for health professionals
- US Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 101.54: nutrient content claims for "good source" and "high"
Iron is from food tables, for the food as eaten, and real foods vary with the cut, the brand and the recipe. Your body takes in a share of it, and a larger share when your stores are low.
Educational, not medical advice. ferritin.ai does not diagnose or treat any condition. Talk to your doctor about your own results.