--- title: California Sushi Lover Took a 5-Foot Tapeworm From His Body description: A California man with a daily sushi habit pulled a 5-foot tapeworm from his body after eating raw salmon. canonical: https://time.com/5110153/sushi-lover-five-foot-tapeworm/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-19T20:23:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T22:45:52.000Z article:section: Health og:title: A Sushi Lover Pulled a 5-Foot Tapeworm Out of His Body og:description: His daily sushi habit was likely to blame og:url: https://time.com/5110153/sushi-lover-five-foot-tapeworm/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta5ab51f181b885fb/6988f8d7096a9467a56a12c0/salmon-sashimi.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3865 og:image:height: 2174 og:image:alt: Salmon sashimi - Japanese food og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Sushi Lover Pulled a 5-Foot Tapeworm Out of His Body twitter:description: His daily sushi habit was likely to blame twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta5ab51f181b885fb/6988f8d7096a9467a56a12c0/salmon-sashimi.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:38 video:published: 2015-06-25 section: health topics: sushi, healthy eating, raw fish, food safety, bacteria, mercury, sustainable seafood, portion control genre: explainer, consumer guide tones: informative, cautionary, reassuring, practical emotions: reassurance (medium), concern (low), curiosity (medium) sentiment: neutral audience: health-conscious consumers, sushi lovers, diners, seafood shoppers people: Sunniva Hoel, David Katz, Kristin Kirkpatrick, Roxanne Karimi, Tim Fitzgerald organizations: Hollin products: sushi, sashimi, tuna, salmon, shrimp, scallops, clams, oysters, roe content_suitability: health controversy [00:14-00:24] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # A Sushi Lover Pulled a 5-Foot Tapeworm Out of His Body > 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. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=6cbf89f2-d50f-44e2-adb9-c66b995c266a&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Weekdays | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Written by TIME's health desk | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Health conscious and health connected. A broad health-conscious audience with a credible institutional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### TIME Health Matters: key statements * Health Matters is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Health Matters is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=6cbf89f2-d50f-44e2-adb9-c66b995c266a&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/subscribe?i=6cbf89f2-d50f-44e2-adb9-c66b995c266a&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's health newsletter? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health newsletter, written by TIME's health journalists. It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. 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=6cbf89f2-d50f-44e2-adb9-c66b995c266a&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Should I Eat Sushi? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Eat Sushi?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cmhCuNmR.m3u8) (1:38)  _Published 2015-06-25. You now have the blessing of five health experts to eat sushi, but know this before ordering._ 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 Health experts give guidance on eating sushi healthily. The video says the rice is the main concern, that raw fish carries infection risks, and that store-bought sushi has more bacteria risk. It recommends lean fresh fatty fish, sea vegetables, brown rice or no rice, and smaller portions, and notes mercury and sustainability considerations for different fish. ## Key points - Sunniva Hoel says sushi is a healthy meal if you make the right choices, and that fish brings many health benefits. (00:08) - Hoel says the rice is the problem in sushi, and that sashimi is the best way to order. (00:14) - David Katz points out that raw fish can transmit infectious diseases, so a well-run establishment should be chosen. (00:24) - A study by Hollin and colleagues found that almost half of the supermarket sushi sampled had unsatisfactory levels of bacteria. (00:36) - Kristin Kirkpatrick advises staying away from deep-fried rolls smothered with mayo and focusing on lean sources of fresh fatty fish. (00:49) - Kirkpatrick suggests wrapping sushi in brown rice or no rice at all, with plenty of sea vegetables and portion control. (00:56) - Roxanne Karimi says small-bodied fish lower on the food chain have less mercury, though mercury remains a concern with sushi. (01:03) - Tim Fitzgerald says scallops, clams, oysters and roe are solid sustainable alternatives to popular items like tuna, salmon and shrimp, which often aren't farmed sustainably. (01:16) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:18] Expert approval and the rice concern. Experts say sushi can be healthy with the right choices, and that rice is the main problem. - [00:18 to 00:36] Raw fish and store-bought sushi risks. Sashimi is recommended, with warnings about infection from raw fish and bacteria in store-bought sushi. - [00:36 to 00:56] Choosing healthier rolls. Experts advise avoiding fried, mayo-heavy rolls and favoring lean fatty fish, sea vegetables and smaller portions. - [00:56 to 01:38] Mercury and sustainable choices. Smaller fish have less mercury, and some alternatives to popular fish are more sustainable. ## Key quotes - [00:08] Sunniva Hoel: "Sushi is a nice and healthy meal if you make the right choices" - [00:14] Sunniva Hoel: "it's the rice that's the problem." - [00:24] David Katz: "The raw fish can transmit infectious diseases" - [00:49] Kristin Kirkpatrick: "Stay away from rolls that are deep fried and smothered with mayo" - [01:33] Tim Fitzgerald: "Just have a cheat sheet when you go in." ## Questions this video answers - Is sushi still healthy to eat? [00:00] - Which parts of sushi are the biggest health problem? [00:14] - Is raw fish in sushi safe to eat? [00:24] - Is store-bought sushi riskier than restaurant sushi? [00:30] - Which sushi choices are healthiest? [00:49] - Which fish are lower in mercury and more sustainable? [01:07] ## Content suitability - health controversy [00:14-00:24]: Warnings about raw fish transmitting infectious diseases and bacteria in store-bought sushi.  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Updated: Dec 12, 2023 10:45 PM UTCPublished: Jan 19, 2018 8:23 PM UTC  Salmon sashimi is famous Japanese food for Thai people, especially in Bangkok Salmon sashimi is famous Japanese food for Thai people, especially in Bangkok Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Updated: Dec 12, 2023 10:45 PM UTCPublished: Jan 19, 2018 8:23 PM UTC A daily sushi habit caught up with a California man in a big way, according to one doctor’s story on the medical podcast [_This Won’t Hurt a Bit_](http://www.wonthurtabit.com/episodes/6-parasites)_._ A patient at Fresno’s Community Regional Medical Center recently came to Dr. Kenny Banh, an emergency medicine doctor, complaining of bloody diarrhea and asking to be treated for tapeworms, Banh recalled on the latest episode of the podcast. Banh said he was skeptical of the man’s self-diagnosis — until he produced some startling evidence. “Next to him, he’s got this little grocery bag,” Banh recounted on the podcast. “I open it up, and I take out a toilet paper roll, just that little brown center piece. Wrapped around it is, of course, this giant, long — what looks like a flat tapeworm, just sitting in there. I was like, ‘That came out of your bottom?’ He was like, ‘Yes, that came out of my bottom.'” Banh continued examining the patient and learned that the man had been experiencing cramping, abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Then, while on the toilet, he looked down and saw what he thought was a piece of intestine dangling from his body, Banh said. “He is scared to death that he’s got something terrible,” Banh said. “He’s like, ‘Oh my goodness, my guts are coming out from me.'” But when the patient began pulling out what looked like intestine, it started to move. It dawned on the man that he actually had a giant worm. He continued to pull, and eventually wrapped the entire parasite around the toilet paper roll. When Banh laid it out on the floor of the emergency department, he said, it measured five feet, six inches long. Banh treated the patient with deworming medication and quizzed him about lifestyle or travel habits that could have led to the diagnosis. Eventually, the patient mentioned his near-daily salmon sashimi habit, which Banh said was likely to blame for the monster worm — especially given that a [study released by the CDC](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/2/16-1026%5Farticle) last winter warns about tapeworm larvae found in North American salmon. [Per FDA regulations](https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/UCM252393.pdf), raw fish must be flash-frozen before consumption to kill off parasites, including tapeworms. But when fish isn’t frozen for long enough, or if it doesn’t reach low enough temperatures, some parasites can survive and find their way into people’s bodies, Banh explained. If you want to be on the safe side, you can always eat your salmon cooked. ” Cooked salmon is not a problem,” he said, “if it’s properly cooked.”  Photo courtesy of Dr. Kenny Banh/This Won't Hurt a Bit ## Transcript [00:00] You now have the blessing of five health experts to [00:03] keep eating sushi, but know this before ordering. Sushi [00:08] is a nice and healthy meal if you make the right [00:11] choices, says Sunniva Hoel. Fish come with a lot of [00:14] health benefits, but it's the rice that's the problem. [00:18] Eating sashimi Slices of raw fish is the best way to [00:22] order she says .>> The raw fish can transmit [00:24] infectious diseases .>> Points out David Katz. So [00:27] make sure to choose a well run establishment. You [00:30] should be even more careful with store bought sushi. It [00:33] has a longer shelf life, which gives bacteria more of an [00:36] opportunity to grow. A study by Hollin colleagues [00:39] revealed that almost half of the supermarket sushi they [00:42] sampled had unsatisfactory levels of bacteria. Stay [00:46] away from rolls that are deep fried and smothered [00:49] with mayo suggests Kristin Kirkpatrick. Instead, focus [00:52] on lean sources of fresh fatty fish. Get plenty of sea [00:56] vegetables and wrap it in brown rice. Or no rice at all. [01:00] If you do that, then a portion control thumbs up to you, [01:03] she says. Though mercury is still a concern with sushi, [01:07] Roxanne Karimi says that small bodied fish lower on [01:10] the food chain have less of it. Those fish are [01:13] sometimes the best ones to pick for sustainability, too, [01:16] says Tim Fitzgerald. Though the most popular items, [01:21] like tuna, salmon, and shrimp, often aren't farmed [01:23] sustainably. Scallops, clams, oysters and roe, are solid [01:26] alternatives. You don't have to give up sushi, Fitzgerald [01:30] says. It's still good for you. Just have a cheat sheet [01:33] when you go in. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5110153/sushi-lover-five-foot-tapeworm/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5110153/sushi-lover-five-foot-tapeworm/"},"headline":"A Sushi Lover Pulled a 5-Foot Tapeworm Out of His Body","datePublished":"2018-01-19T20:23:25.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T22:45:52.000Z","description":"He had a daily sushi habit","url":"https://time.com/5110153/sushi-lover-five-foot-tapeworm/","keywords":["medicine","California","sushi","onetime","healthytime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta5ab51f181b885fb/6988f8d7096a9467a56a12c0/salmon-sashimi.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jamie Ducharme","jobTitle":"Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta5ab51f181b885fb/6988f8d7096a9467a56a12c0/salmon-sashimi.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Salmon sashimi - Japanese food","caption":"Salmon sashimi - Japanese food","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/medicine/","name":"medicine"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5110153/sushi-lover-five-foot-tapeworm/","name":"A Sushi Lover Pulled a 5-Foot Tapeworm Out of His Body"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Eat Sushi?","description":"You now have the blessing of five health experts to eat sushi, but know this before ordering.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/cmhCuNmR/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-25T14:38:40.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cmhCuNmR.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5110153/sushi-lover-five-foot-tapeworm/","duration":"PT1M38S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5110153/sushi-lover-five-foot-tapeworm/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```