Are Sardines Good for Fatty Liver? Omega-3s Per Can and More

TL;DR

• Sardines are a good choice for fatty liver: an oily, low-mercury fish that’s cheap and keeps in the pantry. A drained 3.75-oz can of Atlantic sardines in oil has about 23 g of protein and 0.9 g of the omega-3s EPA and DHA, according to USDA.
• Because you eat the soft bones, one can also gives you about a quarter of the Daily Value for calcium, plus vitamin D, vitamin B12 and selenium.
• They’re not a treatment. Their value comes from fitting a Mediterranean-style diet and replacing red and processed meat. Fish-oil pills haven’t shown liver benefits in the major guidelines.

Yes, sardines are good for fatty liver for most people. They’re a small oily fish that delivers protein and omega-3 fats with little saturated fat, and they’re one of the cheapest, easiest ways to eat more of the fish that guidelines for MASLD (formerly NAFLD) point to.

They aren’t a cure, and canned sardines come with a few things to check: sodium, cholesterol if your doctor is watching it, and what you serve them on. For the broader research on fish, salmon and fatty liver, see our guide to fish and fatty liver. This article focuses on what a can of sardines actually gives you.

How much omega-3 is in a can of sardines?

A standard 3.75-ounce can of Atlantic sardines packed in oil holds about 92 g (3.2 oz) of fish once drained. USDA lists that at about 0.9 g of EPA and DHA, the long-chain omega-3s found in fish.

Here’s how sardines compare with other canned fish, per 3 ounces drained:

Per 3 oz, drained	Calories	Protein	Saturated fat	Omega-3s (EPA + DHA)	Calcium	Sodium
Sardines, Atlantic, in oil, with bones	177	20.9 g	1.3 g	0.8 g	325 mg	261 mg
Sardines, Pacific, in tomato sauce, with bones	157	17.7 g	2.3 g	1.2 g	204 mg	352 mg
Mackerel, jack, canned	133	19.7 g	1.6 g	1.0 g	205 mg	322 mg
Salmon, pink, canned	117	19.6 g	0.8 g	0.9 g	241 mg	324 mg
Tuna, light, canned in water	73	16.5 g	0.2 g	0.2 g	14 mg	210 mg
Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked (fresh, for comparison)	175	18.8 g	2.0 g	1.8 g	13 mg	52 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy).

What the numbers show:

• Sardines are in the oily-fish league. They’re close to canned salmon and mackerel, and they have more than four times the omega-3s of canned light tuna. Our guide to tuna and fatty liver covers that pantry staple.
• Fresh salmon has about twice as much. But sardines need no cooking, and a can keeps in the cupboard.
• The tomato-sauce row is a different species. USDA’s entry for sardines in tomato sauce is Pacific sardines, so don’t read the higher number as the sauce adding omega-3s.
• Anchovies are a seasoning, not a serving. Five canned anchovies (20 g) give about 0.4 g of EPA and DHA but 734 mg of sodium, almost a third of the 2,300 mg Daily Value.

What else do sardines give you?

Omega-3s get the headlines, but a can of sardines is a well-rounded protein. Here’s one drained 3.75-oz can of Atlantic sardines in oil (92 g):

Nutrient	Per can	% Daily Value
Calories	191	—
Protein	22.6 g	45%
Calcium	351 mg	27%
Vitamin D	4.4 mcg	22%
Vitamin B12	8.2 mcg	342%
Selenium	48 mcg	88%
Saturated fat	1.4 g	7%
Cholesterol	131 mg	44%
Sodium	282 mg	12%

Source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy); Daily Values from the FDA.

• The calcium comes from the bones. Canned sardines are packed with soft, edible bones. USDA data on canned salmon show how much that matters: 241 mg of calcium per 3 ounces with the bones, 51 mg with skin and bones removed.
• Saturated fat is low. A whole can has 1.4 g, less than a fifth of what’s in a tablespoon of butter.
• Cholesterol is moderate. At 131 mg per can, sardines are lower than an egg but not cholesterol-free. Our guide to shrimp and fatty liver explains what the research says about dietary cholesterol and the liver.

Do the omega-3s in sardines help a fatty liver?

Possibly a little, but don’t expect any fish to do the work by itself. The evidence splits into pills and food:

• Omega-3 supplements. A 2012 meta-analysis in the Journal of Hepatology pooled nine studies with 355 people and found omega-3 supplements may reduce liver fat. The authors noted big differences between studies and said the best dose wasn’t known.
• What the guidelines conclude. The AASLD’s 2023 guidance lists omega-3 fatty acids among treatments “not found to have liver-specific benefits.” The 2024 European guideline reports that an EPA supplement showed no benefit on liver biopsies compared with placebo in randomized trials.
• Oily fish as food. In the UK Biobank, which followed 487,875 adults for about 12 years, people who ate oily fish five or more times a week had a 28% lower risk of severe fatty liver disease (hospitalization or death) than people who ate none. Non-oily fish showed no clear link. This was an observational study, so it can’t prove cause and effect.
• A sardine trial. In Barcelona, 152 adults aged 65 and older with prediabetes followed the same diabetes-prevention diet for a year, and half of them also ate 200 g of sardines a week. The researchers reported that the sardine group did better on a diabetes-risk score and had lower insulin resistance, along with higher HDL (“good”) cholesterol and lower triglycerides and blood pressure. The study didn’t measure liver fat, but insulin resistance is closely tied to fatty liver.

There’s also a heart reason to eat them. The AASLD notes that cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of death in people with fatty liver, so a food that suits both your liver and your heart is worth keeping.

The practical takeaway: eat sardines as part of a Mediterranean-style diet, ideally in place of red or processed meat, rather than as a liver remedy. Our guide to red meat and fatty liver explains why that swap matters.

Which canned sardines should you buy?

• Packed in oil, water or tomato sauce: All can work. If the oil is olive oil, use a spoonful as your dressing instead of butter or mayonnaise. Otherwise, drain it.
• Check the sodium: It varies by brand and by sauce. If you’re watching salt, compare labels and look for low-sodium or no-salt-added versions.
• Keep the bones and skin: That’s where the calcium is, and they soften in the can.
• Go easy on flavored and smoked versions: Check the label for added salt and sugar.
• Mercury isn’t a worry: Sardines are on the FDA and EPA’s “Best Choices” list, along with anchovies, herring, salmon and Atlantic mackerel.

If you also have gout, note that sardines are among the highest-purine foods in the USDA–NIH purine database, so ask your doctor how often they fit.

How can you eat more sardines?

Sardines are easiest when you treat them like canned tuna or salmon:

• On whole-grain toast with sliced tomato, lemon and black pepper
• Mashed with lemon juice, mustard and chopped celery instead of a mayonnaise-heavy fish salad
• Tossed with white beans, arugula, red onion and a little olive oil; see our guide to beans and fatty liver
• Folded into whole-wheat pasta with garlic, chili flakes, parsley and lemon
• Fresh sardines, grilled or baked with lemon and herbs

Instead of	Try
A ham or salami sandwich	Sardines on whole-grain toast with tomato
Tuna salad loaded with mayonnaise	Sardines mashed with lemon, mustard and herbs
A steak salad	Greens topped with sardines and white beans
Pepperoni on pizza night	A whole-grain flatbread with tomato, sardines, olives and arugula
Crackers and cheese	Sardines on cucumber slices or rye crispbread

If you track meals in an app like Liverly, you can compare a sardine-and-bean salad with a deli sandwich and see the difference in saturated fat and sodium.

What if you have cirrhosis?

Sardines can be a handy protein with cirrhosis, when protein needs are often higher. Canned sardines are already cooked, which matters because the NIDDK advises people with cirrhosis to avoid raw or undercooked fish and shellfish. If your doctor has asked you to limit sodium, count the can’s 282 mg toward your daily allowance and choose lower-sodium versions. Follow your care team’s plan.

The Bottom Line

Sardines are good for fatty liver. A single can delivers about 23 g of protein, 0.9 g of omega-3s, a quarter of your daily calcium and plenty of vitamin D and B12, with little saturated fat and low mercury. Research on omega-3 pills is disappointing for the liver, but oily fish eaten as food fits the Mediterranean pattern that liver guidelines recommend, and it’s linked to lower risk in large studies.

Eat them a couple of times a week, in place of red or processed meat when you can, check the sodium on the label, and pair them with vegetables, beans and whole grains rather than crackers and cheese.

Sources

• USDA FoodData Central: Fish, sardine, Atlantic, canned in oil, drained solids with bone (FDC ID 175139).
• Wang J, et al. Meat and fish consumption, genetic risk and risk of severe metabolic-associated fatty liver disease: a prospective cohort of 487,875 individuals. Nutr J. 2025.
• Díaz-Rizzolo DA, et al. Type 2 diabetes preventive effects with a 12-months sardine-enriched diet in elderly population with prediabetes: an interventional, randomized and controlled trial. Clin Nutr. 2021.
• Parker HM, et al. Omega-3 supplementation and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Hepatol. 2012.
• FDA: Advice about Eating Fish.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or hepatologist about your specific situation.