Does Fish Oil Contain Iron

Your daily fish oil supplements don't give you any iron.

Image Credit: Spectral-Design/iStock/Getty Images Iron transports oxygen around your bloodstream, giving your cells plenty of oxygen to function. While some varieties of whole fish will indeed provide a small amount of iron, no matter which type of fish oil you consume – cod liver, sardine and salmon, among others – you won’t be adding any iron to your diet. During processing, the fats are separated from the fish, leaving behind certain nutrients. You’ll get a hearty dose of heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from fish oil and sometimes vitamins A and D, but not any minerals.

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Fish Sources

If you’re trying to up your iron intake and you enjoy fish, you’re better off eating the entire fillet, rather than just a spoonful of oil. Eating a 3-ounce serving of broiled sockeye salmon provides you with 0.4 milligrams of iron. Cooked yellowfin tuna has double that amount with about 0.8 milligrams in a 3-ounce cut. Three ounces of baked halibut provides 0.2 milligrams, while the same amount of light tuna canned in water has upwards of 1.3 milligrams of iron.

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  references
  
      Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish Oil, Cod Liver
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish Oil, Sardine
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish Oil, Salmon
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish, Salmon, Sockeye, Cooked, Dry Heat
       




  references
  
      Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish Oil, Cod Liver
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish Oil, Sardine
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish Oil, Salmon
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish, Salmon, Sockeye, Cooked, Dry Heat
    




Your daily fish oil supplements don't give you any iron.

Image Credit: Spectral-Design/iStock/Getty Images

      Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish Oil, Cod Liver
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish Oil, Sardine
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish Oil, Salmon
    
      USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Fish, Salmon, Sockeye, Cooked, Dry Heat