--- title: Alzheimer's and Mercury: Does Eating Fish Increase Risk? description: Studies show that eating fish can be helpful for the brain, but does the risk of mercury in seafood negate that benefit? The latest study explores the link canonical: https://time.com/4201808/fish-mercury-and-alzheimers-risk/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-02T16:00:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:04:40.232Z article:section: Health og:title: Does Mercury From Fish Increase Risk of Alzheimer's? og:description: Studies show that eating fish can be helpful for the brain, but does the risk of mercury in seafood negate that benefit? The latest study explores the link og:url: https://time.com/4201808/fish-mercury-and-alzheimers-risk/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1a42ba796b2b578e/69887b82bc6cfc4b363db843/gettyimages-538605401.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5460 og:image:height: 3071 og:image:alt: 538605401 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Does Mercury From Fish Increase Risk of Alzheimer's? twitter:description: Studies show that eating fish can be helpful for the brain, but does the risk of mercury in seafood negate that benefit? The latest study explores the link twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1a42ba796b2b578e/69887b82bc6cfc4b363db843/gettyimages-538605401.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:55 video:published: 2015-08-26 section: health topics: salmon nutrition, omega-3 fatty acids, wild versus farmed salmon, sustainable seafood, farmed salmon brands, canned salmon, environmental concerns, fish farming, protein and calories, Alaska salmon genre: explainer, service journalism tones: informative, measured, practical, reassuring emotions: curiosity (medium), trust (medium), reassurance (low) sentiment: positive audience: health-conscious consumers, home cooks, grocery shoppers, environmentally conscious eaters people: Julia Renee Zumpano, Dr. David Katz, Peter D. Nichols, Tim Fitzgerald, Kimberly Warner organizations: Atlantic Sapphire, Kuterra, Verlasso products: wild salmon, farmed salmon, canned salmon, Alaska salmon transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Fish, Mercury and Alzheimer’s Risk > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. 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It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=ff5928b5-b284-4a2d-97b9-70f9bf573865&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Should I Eat Salmon? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Eat Salmon?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OIB4mfT2.m3u8) (1:55)  _Published 2015-08-26. This food from the sea is a no-brainer for all five of our experts._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video asks whether people should eat salmon and presents nutritional facts about a three ounce serving, including calories, protein, healthy fat and omega-3 content. It compares wild and farmed salmon, citing differences in fat, pollutants, antibiotics and omega-3 levels. It then discusses which farmed brands and wild options experts favor for sustainability, and notes that canned salmon is virtually all wild caught in Alaska. ## Key points - A three ounce serving of wild salmon has about 156 calories, 23 grams of protein and about 6 grams of healthy fat. (00:10) - Omega-3 fatty acids are salmon's main claim to fame, providing between two and three grams per three ounce serving, according to Julia Renee Zumpano. (00:18) - Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce blood triglycerides, blood pressure and swelling. (00:27) - Dr. David Katz says wild salmon is better than farmed, since farm salmon may contain more saturated fat, calories, pollutants and antibiotics. (00:35) - Peter D. Nichols says the long-chain omega-3 content in farm salmon is about half of what it used to be. (00:49) - Tim Fitzgerald says not all farm salmon is bad, and names Atlantic Sapphire, Kuterra and Verlasso as sustainably farmed brands he favors. (01:02) - Kimberly Warner says that for the most sustainable choice, one should choose wild Alaska salmon, which is more expensive but can be a good deal during summer season. (01:26) - Fitzgerald says virtually all canned salmon is wild caught in Alaska, offering environmental and health benefits for a few dollars. (01:39) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:10] Introducing the salmon question. The video poses whether salmon is worth eating and notes that all five experts agree it is. - [00:10 to 00:27] Nutritional profile and omega-3s. The segment outlines calories, protein and fat in wild salmon and the health effects of omega-3 fatty acids. - [00:27 to 00:49] Wild versus farmed salmon. Experts compare wild and farmed salmon on fat, pollutants, antibiotics and omega-3 content. - [00:49 to 01:26] Choosing sustainable salmon. Experts recommend specific farmed brands and suggest wild Alaska salmon as the most sustainable option. - [01:26 to 01:55] Canned salmon and value. The video explains that canned salmon is virtually all wild caught in Alaska and is an affordable option. ## Key quotes - [00:35] Dr. David Katz: "Wild salmon is better than farmed" - [00:49] Peter D. Nichols: "The long- chain omega- 3 content is about half of what it used to be in farm fish." - [01:02] Tim Fitzgerald: "Not all farm salmon is bad, though" - [01:26] Kimberly Warner: "for the overall most sustainable bet choose wild Alaska Salmon" - [01:39] Tim Fitzgerald: "Virtually all canned salmon is wild caught in Alaska" ## Questions this video answers - Should you eat salmon? [00:01] - What nutrients does a three ounce serving of wild salmon provide? [00:10] - What do omega-3 fatty acids do for the body? [00:27] - Is wild salmon better than farmed salmon? [00:35] - Are there sustainably farmed salmon brands worth buying? [01:02] - Which salmon is the most sustainable choice? [01:26]  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Feb 2, 2016 4:00 PM UTC  Salmon steak Salmon steak Getty Images  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Feb 2, 2016 4:00 PM UTC Research shows seafood can protect the heart and [brain](http://time.com/3079816/fish-brain-gray-matter-study-omega-fatty-acids/)—but it can also contain the heavy metal mercury, which can be especially toxic to brain neurons. Studies trying to answer the question of whether the harm from mercury in seafood outweighs the benefits of eating the fish have had conflicting results. A unique new study [in _JAMA_](http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2015.19451) gets closer to an answer. Martha Clare Morris, professor of epidemiology at Rush University Medical Center, and her colleagues wanted to see how much mercury accumulates in the brain of fish eaters and whether those metal levels have any connection to Alzheimer’s features like protein plaques and tangles, which can affect memory and thinking functions like reasoning and organization. **MORE:** [How to Eat All the Fish You Want, Minus the Mercury Danger](http://time.com/3712062/fish-safe-eating/) Morris took advantage of a unique database of nearly 300 people who filled out regular diet questionnaires and agreed to donate their brains to research upon their death. The autopsy analysis allowed Morris to measure levels of mercury in the brains as well as the presence of Alzheimer’s plaques and tangles. [Reporting in _JAMA_](http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2015.19451), she found that people who ate seafood at least once a week showed higher levels of mercury in the brain than those who ate less. But for people with a genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s, called ApoE4, eating more fish also showed lower amounts of harmful proteins in their brain. Up to 30% of people in the general population have at least one copy of the ApoE4 variant, which puts them at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to people who don’t have the variant. That may be why Morris only saw a strong effect in those who had ApoE4, since they likely had more protein buildup to begin with. In the study, 22.7% of the older people who participated had at least one copy of ApoE4. **MORE:** [To Prevent Alzheimer’s, Diet and Exercise Are Effective, Large Study Shows](http://time.com/2982908/to-prevent-alzheimers-diet-and-exercise-are-effective-large-study-shows/) Morris says that people without the genetic variant could still benefit from seafood — it’s just that people without the variant might have too little Alzheimer’s proteins in their brains for the study to pick up any effect. While the findings don’t mean that anyone should rely on seafood to protect them from Alzheimer’s, they do provide reassurance that while seafood is associated with higher brain levels of mercury, those amounts don’t seem to be linked to a higher risk of developing features of Alzheimer’s, at least in this study. “The take-home message,” says Morris, “is that the concern about eating seafood because of mercury should be allayed somewhat by this study since we didn’t see any evidence that increased levels of mercury in the brain is causing brain pathologies.” ## Transcript [00:01] Should you eat salmon? This food from the sea is a no [00:04] brainer for all five of our experts. [ MUSIC ] A [00:10] three ounce serving of wild salmon has about 156 [00:13] calories, plus 23 grams of protein and about 6 grams [00:18] of healthy fat. Omega 3 fatty acids are salmon's claim [00:22] to fame, providing anywhere between two to three [00:24] grams per three ounce serving says Julia Renee [00:27] Zumpano. Omega 3 fatty acids can help reduce blood [00:31] triglycerides, blood pressure, and reduce swelling. [00:35] Wild salmon is better than farmed says, Dr. David [00:37] Katz. Farm salmon may contain more saturated fat, [00:41] calories, pollutants, and antibiotics than wild salmon. [00:45] Additionally, farm salmon might not provide as many [00:49] omega- 3s says Peter D. Nichols. The long- chain [00:51] omega- 3 content is about half of what it used to be in [00:55] farm fish. Although this is still generally 10 to 100 fold [00:59] higher than most other food groups, he says. Not all [01:02] farm salmon is bad, though, says Tim Fitzgerald. [01:06] Although most generic farm salmon, often labeled [01:09] Atlantic in stores, still comes with a variety of [01:13] environmental concerns. Salmon from fish farms [01:16] shouldn't always be avoided. Sustainably farm salmon [01:19] brands like Atlantic Sapphire, Kuterra, and Verlasso [01:22] are some of Fitzgerald's favorites, but for the overall [01:26] most sustainable bet choose wild Alaska Salmon says [01:30] Kimberly Warner. It's more expensive but you can get [01:33] an especially good deal during the summer salmon [01:35] season, but don't forget not every fish worth eating [01:39] comes on ice. Virtually all canned salmon is wild caught [01:43] in Alaska, Fitzgerald says, so you can get all of the [01:46] environmental and health benefits of fresh salmon for [01:49] just a few dollars. 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