When we think of the nutritional content of salmon, we often limit it to omega-3 fatty acids. While omega-3 fats are vitally important to health, salmon has much more to offer us in the form of vitamins. There are many different types of salmon, from wild Atlantic salmon to chinook salmon, yet they all contain certain basic vitamins. The exact vitamin content will vary, based on the type of salmon and the cooking method used in preparation.
B Vitamins
The highest concentration of vitamins in salmon come from the family of B vitamins. The American Cancer Society reports that B vitamins are necessary for many functions in the body, such as metabolism, growth and the production of blood cells. In a 3 oz. serving of baked salmon there is 0.2 mg of thiamine (vitamin B1). While that may not seem like a high content, consider the fact that 0.2 mg is actually 16 percent of the recommended daily allowance for thiamine. Other B vitamins in salmon are 0.4 mg of riboflavin (vitamin B2), which is 24 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA); 2.6 mg of vitamin B12, which is 43 percent of the RDA; 8.6 mg of niacin which is also 43 percent of the RDA; and 0.8 mg of vitamin B6 which is 40 percent of the RDA.
Folate
Folate works in conjunction with the other B vitamins, which is why it is often included in B complex vitamin supplements. The Mayo Clinic explains that folate is the natural form of folic acid, and even though the names folate and folic acid are often used interchangeably, folic acid is actually the synthetic, or man made, form of folate. A 3 oz. serving of salmon offers up 24.6 mcg of folate, which is 6 percent of the RDA.
Vitamin A
The other vitamin found in salmon is vitamin A. Vitamin A is necessary to maintain the health of the skin, teeth, tissues and mucous membranes. Retinol, a form of vitamin A, helps maintain the health of the retina in the eye. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, retinol gets sent to the retina where it is stored up in the pigment cells. When there is not enough retinol in the eye to help it adapt to changes between light and dark, night blindness can occur. A 3 oz. serving of baked salmon contains 37.4 international units (IU) of vitamin A, which is only 1 percent of the RDA. Of the vitamin A content in salmon, 11.1 percent of that is in the form of retinol. The National Institutes of Health reports that when you don't have enough vitamin A in the body, not only are you at higher risk for vision problems, you also have a greater risk of susceptibility to infectious diseases.
Member Comments