Canned Fish Highest in Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

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Canned Fish Highest in Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

Vitamin B12, or Cobalamin, is an essential vitamin necessary for the maintenance of the nervous system and for preventing anemia. (1) Fish is a good source of vitamin B12, but what about canned fish?

Canned fish can be a great source of vitamin B12. Canned foods are typically more affordable than fresh, with greater availability. The downside is that canned foods often have a lot of added sodium, and may be packed in less desirable oils. As such, try to choose canned fish without added salt and either packed in water or good quality olive oil.

Canned fish high in vitamin B12 includes canned oysters, clams, salmon, sardines, mackerel, crab, tuna, shrimp, cod, and anchovies. The values below are for a given serving size. 1 cup is a relatively large serving size, so if you don't usually eat this much at a time, you can simply divide the numbers in half to get the amount for half a cup (about 4 ounces).

The daily value (DV) for vitamin B12 is 2.4mcg per day. In 2016, this was reduced from 6mcg per day, because the scientific evidence shows that 2.4mcg is enough to prevent symptoms of deficiency in the majority of people. For this reason, the percentage of the daily value (%DV) may appear lower on outdated product labels. (2)

Use the nutrient ranking tool to search for fish high in vitamin B12 by a standard serving size, like 100 grams or 200 calories. For different kinds of foods, see the article on foods high in vitamin B12.

Table of Canned Fish High in Vitamin B12

FoodServingVitamin B12
#1 Canned Eastern Oysters1 cup (drained)1291% DV
31mcg
#2 Canned Clams1 cup (drained)1242% DV
29.8mcg
#3 Canned Sardines1 cup (drained)555% DV
13.3mcg
#4 Canned Mackerel1 cup549% DV
13.2mcg
#5 Canned Salmon3oz195% DV
4.7mcg
#6 Canned Blue Crab1 cup187% DV
4.5mcg
#7 Canned Tuna1 cup (drained)175% DV
4.2mcg
#8 Canned Shrimpper cup39% DV
0.9mcg
#9 Canned Cod3 oz37% DV
0.9mcg
#10 Canned Anchovies5 anchovies7% DV
0.2mcg

How Much Vitamin B12 Do You need?

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Vitamin B12 ranges from 0.4 to 2.8mcg per day. The daily value (DV) for vitamin B12 is 2.4mcg per day. (2) In 2016, this was reduced from 6mcg per day, because the scientific evidence shows that 2.4mcg is enough to prevent symptoms of deficiency in the majority of people.

Life StageRDA
Infants*
0-6 months old0.4mcg
7-12 months old0.5mcg
Children
1-3 years old0.9mcg
4-8 years old1.2mcg
Males
9-13 years old1.8mcg
14-18 years old2.4mcg
19-50 years old2.4mcg
50+ years old2.4mcg
Females
9-13 years old1.8mcg
14-18 years old2.4mcg
19-50 years old2.4mcg
50+ years old2.4mcg
Pregnancy
14-18 years old2.6mcg
18+ years old2.6mcg
Lactation
14-18 years old2.8mcg
18+ years old2.8mcg
*The amounts for children less than 12 months old is the adequate intake (AI) not RDA.
Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin B12.

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

About Nutrient Targets

Setting targets can provide a guide to healthy eating.

Some of the most popular targets include:
  • Daily Value (%DV) - The daily value (%DV) is a general guideline for consumption that will prevent deficiency of a particular nutrient in most people. The %DV refers to the percentage of an amount that's found in a single serving of a food. It also accounts for absorption factors. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Recommended Dietary Allowance (%RDA) - The RDA sets an average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals. It's more specific than the daily value, and varies by age and gender. The RDA is set by the US National Institutes of Health.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) -The reference dietary intake is similar to the recommended daily allowance, but is specific to age and gender. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - This value is primarily used in reference to omega-3 and omega-6 fats. The Adequate Intake is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Because there is less evidence to determine the ideal targets for consumption of these nutrients, the specific amount is considered to be less reliable. Using the term Adequate Intake, rather than one of the other terms, helps to emphasize that the ideal intake of that particular nutrient has not yet been scientifically determined.

See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

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Data Sources and References

  1. Allen LH. Vitamin B12 in health and disease Adv Exp Med Biol. 1994;352:173-86. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4899-2575-6_14. 7832046
  2. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
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