Nutrition Information For Canned Sardines

Canned sardines are an acquired taste for some and an addiction for others. Small, oily fish related to herring, sardines are available in the United States canned, typically in oil or tomato sauce. They are an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals and, because they are an oily fish, are rich in a type of polyunsaturated essential for human health, omega-3 fats, which offer cardiovascular benefits.

Identification

Sardines are named for the Italian island, Sardinia, where large schools of these fish were once found. While they can be eaten fresh, they are highly perishable and are typically available in the United States in cans. Sardines do not contain the contaminants of many other varieties of fish, such as mercury, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Sardines are abundant in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and Mediterranean Sea. The main producers of canned sardines are France, Spain, Portugal and Norway.

Basic Nutrients

According to ELook.org, a 3.75 oz. serving of oil-canned Atlantic sardines, drained, provides 191 calories, 23 g of protein, no carbohydrates, 11 g of fat, 2 g of saturated fat, 1.36 g of omega-3 fatty acids and 465 mg of sodium. Sardines can be canned in soybean, olive oil or tomato sauce. Those canned in tomato sauce are lower in calories and fat. An 89 g, or 1 cup serving -- roughly the same amount as in a 3.75 oz. can -- drained, provides 165 calories, 19 g of protein, 1 g of carbohydrates, 9 g of fat, 2 g of saturated fat and 368 mg of sodium.

Vitamins

A 3.75 oz. serving of oil-canned sardines, with bone, is rich in many nutrients, such as vitamins, particularly vitamin B2, or riboflavin; B3, or niacin; and B12. One can provides 0.227 mg of riboflavin, or 13 percent of the recommended daily value; 5.25 mg of niacin, or 26 percent of the DV; and 8.94 mcg of vitamin B12; or nearly 150 percent of the DV. All B vitamins support proper nervous system function and are needed for energy metabolism, or converting food into energy the cells can utilize. Vitamin B12 is needed for other functions, such as synthesizing red blood cells and DNA.

Minerals

Sardines are rich in the major minerals calcium, phosphorus and potassium, and the trace minerals iron and selenium. A 3.75 oz. can offers 382 mg of calcium, or 38 percent of the DV; 490 mg of phosphorus, or 49 percent of the DV; 397 mg of potassium, or 16 percent of the DV; 2.92 mg of iron, or 16 percent of the DV; and 57.2 mcg of selenium, or 75 percent of the DV.

Calcium helps regulate blood pressure and, along with phosphorus, is essential for developing and maintaining strong bones and teeth. Phosphorus is used to form genetic material, such as RNA and DNA, and aids in energy metabolism. Potassium is important for regulating fluid balance in the body as well as blood pressure, while iron is crucial for oxygen transport in the body. Iron and selenium promote immune system health and selenium also aids in normal thyroid function.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Canned sardines are a rich source of an essential fatty acid that promotes cardiovascular health and helps reduce inflammation, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids are concentrated in the brain and appear to be crucial for brain development as well as cognitive and behavioral function. One can provides more than 1,300 mg of this beneficial type of fatty acid, or nearly 57 percent of the recommended adequate intake, making sardines an outstanding food source.