Tuna (Light, Albacore, Bigeye)
Everyday exposureFood & drinkAlso called · 9 names▾▴
tuna in pregnancy, canned tuna, light tuna, albacore tuna, white tuna, bigeye tuna, tuna mercury, tuna steak, yellowfin tuna
Fish
General information · effects depend on amount, timing, and how it is used. About these sources
Research strength: 4 / 5
FDA/EPA lists canned light tuna, including skipjack, as a Best Choice, albacore or white tuna and yellowfin as Good Choices, and bigeye as a Choice to Avoid. FDA/EPA describes a 4-ounce adult serving and recommends 2 to 3 weekly Best Choice servings, or 1 weekly Good Choice serving with no other fish that week. The NHS limits pregnancy intake to no more than 4 medium cans, about 140 g drained each, or 2 tuna steaks, about 140 g cooked each; ACOG separately limits albacore to 6 ounces per week. FDA/EPA, the NHS, and ACOG therefore give different mercury-based guidance. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Research strength: 4 / 5
FDA/EPA lists canned light tuna, including skipjack, as a Best Choice, albacore or white tuna and yellowfin as Good Choices, and bigeye as a Choice to Avoid. FDA/EPA describes a 4-ounce adult serving and recommends 2 to 3 weekly Best Choice servings, or 1 weekly Good Choice serving with no other fish that week. The NHS limits pregnancy intake to no more than 4 medium cans, about 140 g drained each, or 2 tuna steaks, about 140 g cooked each; ACOG separately limits albacore to 6 ounces per week. FDA/EPA, the NHS, and ACOG therefore give different mercury-based guidance. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Research strength: 4 / 5
FDA/EPA lists canned light tuna, including skipjack, as a Best Choice, albacore or white tuna and yellowfin as Good Choices, and bigeye as a Choice to Avoid. FDA/EPA describes a 4-ounce adult serving and recommends 2 to 3 weekly Best Choice servings, or 1 weekly Good Choice serving with no other fish that week. The NHS limits pregnancy intake to no more than 4 medium cans, about 140 g drained each, or 2 tuna steaks, about 140 g cooked each; ACOG separately limits albacore to 6 ounces per week. FDA/EPA, the NHS, and ACOG therefore give different mercury-based guidance. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Tuna (Light, Albacore, Bigeye) — Breastfeeding
Research strength: 4 / 5
FDA/EPA applies its fish chart to breastfeeding adults, with 2 to 3 weekly 4-ounce Best Choice servings or 1 weekly Good Choice serving, and lists bigeye as a Choice to Avoid. The CDC's 2026 maternal-diet page also directs breastfeeding readers to the FDA/EPA chart. The NHS states that there is no tuna limit while breastfeeding. These authorities therefore give different tuna limits for this period. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Pregnancy
FDA/EPA classifies canned light tuna, which often includes skipjack, as a Best Choice; albacore or white tuna and yellowfin as Good Choices; and bigeye as a Choice to Avoid. Its current technical table reports average mercury of 0.13 ppm in canned light tuna (548 samples), 0.35 ppm in canned albacore (451 samples), 0.35 ppm in yellowfin (231 samples), and 0.69 ppm in bigeye (21 samples). FDA/EPA recommends 2 to 3 weekly 4-ounce servings from the Best Choices list, or 1 serving from the Good Choices list. ACOG's FAQ page, last reviewed April 2026, instead says to limit white (albacore) tuna to 6 ounces weekly and not eat bigeye. The NHS limits pregnancy intake to no more than 4 medium cans or 2 tuna steaks weekly, without species-specific categories. A 2025 UK COT statement said current government pregnancy fish advice should be maintained, including no more than 2 tuna steaks weekly.
Breastfeeding
FDA/EPA applies its species-based fish chart to breastfeeding adults and recommends 2 to 3 weekly 4-ounce Best Choice servings, or 1 weekly Good Choice serving. The CDC's January 2025 Mercury and Breastfeeding page and its page updated in August 2026 both direct readers to the FDA/EPA chart. The NHS states there is no tuna limit while breastfeeding. The FDA/EPA and CDC chart advice differs from the NHS statement.
FDA/EPA describes fish as a source of DHA and EPA omega-3 fats, omega-6 fats, iron, iodine during pregnancy, choline, protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and selenium. The FDA/EPA Q&A says nearly all fish contain at least traces of methylmercury. FDA monitoring shows average mercury levels vary among tuna species.
What was tested
FDA/EPA's commercial-fish monitoring table reports average mercury concentrations and sample counts by species. Burger and Gochfeld (2004) individually tested 168 canned tuna samples from one New Jersey grocery store, collected from 1998 to 2003. They reported mean total mercury of 0.407 ppm in white-style tuna and 0.118 ppm in light-style tuna. In a subset, inorganic mercury was below detection, so the authors said at least 89% of the mercury could be considered methylmercury. The maximum was 0.997 ppm, and 25% of white-tuna samples exceeded 0.5 ppm. Draining the cans did not change the measured mercury level. These studies tested fish samples, not pregnancy or breastfeeding outcomes.
How to limit tuna during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Source A says
- FDA/EPA and the CDC's 2026 maternal-diet page use the species-based chart for pregnant and breastfeeding adults: 2 to 3 weekly 4-ounce Best Choice servings, or 1 weekly Good Choice serving; canned light is Best, albacore and yellowfin are Good, and bigeye is in Choices to Avoid. (FDA/EPA: Questions and Answers on Advice about Eating Fish, FDA/EPA: Advice about Eating Fish, CDC: Maternal Diet and Breastfeeding)
- Source B says
- The NHS limits pregnancy tuna to no more than 4 medium cans or 2 tuna steaks weekly, without species categories, and states there is no tuna limit while breastfeeding. ACOG says not to eat bigeye and limits albacore to 6 ounces per week during pregnancy. (NHS: Fish and shellfish, ACOG: Healthy Eating During Pregnancy)
- Why they differ
- FDA/EPA and CDC use the FDA/EPA species chart for both pregnancy and breastfeeding. The NHS gives a total tuna amount for pregnancy and a different statement for breastfeeding. ACOG agrees that bigeye is not on the pregnancy menu but gives a higher weekly albacore amount than the FDA/EPA chart's 4-ounce Good Choice serving. Serving sizes and species groupings differ.
- Other sources
- EFSA describes national advice as varying by mercury level and says pregnant people are often advised to replace large fish with smaller fish containing less mercury. UK COT said current government advice should be maintained, including a limit of 2 tuna steaks per week during pregnancy. (European Food Safety Authority: Fish and seafood consumption in the EU, awareness of dietary advice on mercury, UK COT: Statement on mercury and maternal health)
- What the evidence shows overall
- These agencies use different national guidance systems. FDA/EPA and CDC offer species categories and serving counts, ACOG sets an albacore amount, and the NHS gives a total pregnancy cap with no tuna limit for breastfeeding. The differences should be shown rather than merged into one rule.
- FDA/EPA defines an adult fish serving as 4 ounces and recommends 2 to 3 weekly servings from its Best Choices list, or 1 weekly Good Choice serving with no other fish that week. (FDA/EPA: Questions and Answers on Advice about Eating Fish)
- FDA/EPA categorizes canned light tuna, including skipjack, as a Best Choice; albacore or white tuna and yellowfin as Good Choices; and bigeye as a Choice to Avoid. (FDA/EPA: Advice about Eating Fish)
- The NHS pregnancy page limits tuna to no more than 4 medium cans or 2 tuna steaks per week; it states there is no tuna limit while breastfeeding. (NHS: Fish and shellfish)
- Burger and Gochfeld reported that draining canned tuna did not change measured mercury levels in their 1998 to 2003 sample. (Burger and Gochfeld 2004, PubMed abstract)
- ACOG says not to eat bigeye tuna during pregnancy and to limit white (albacore) tuna to 6 ounces per week. (ACOG: Healthy Eating During Pregnancy)
Not enough research found yet.
Experiences from moms and non-medical voices. Not medical evidence.
- FDA/EPA: Advice about Eating FishUS governmentSecondary
- FDA/EPA: Questions and Answers on Advice about Eating FishUS governmentSecondary
- FDA/EPA: Technical Information on Development of FDA/EPA Advice about Eating FishUS governmentSecondary
- NHS: Fish and shellfishUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-06-26Independent check
- Burger and Gochfeld 2004, Environmental Research, PubMed recordUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- European Food Safety Authority: Fish and seafood consumption in the EU, awareness of dietary advice on mercuryEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2026-02-12Independent check
- UK COT: Statement on mercury and maternal healthUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2025-12-15Independent check
- US EPA: EPA-FDA Advice about Eating Fish and ShellfishSecondaryPage dated 2026-10-01
- ACOG: Healthy Eating During PregnancyProfessional societySecondaryIndependent check
- CDC: Maternal Diet and BreastfeedingUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-08-25
- CDC: Mercury and BreastfeedingUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2025-01-27
Last reviewed 2026-10-18
Independent check 2026-10-18
Not yet clinician-reviewed
Ask your provider about your situation.