Health benefits of bluefin tuna consumption: (Thunnus thynnus) as a case study

CHAMORRO, F.; CASSANI, L.; GARCIA-OLIVEIRA, P.; BARRAL-MARTINEZ, M.; JORGE, A. O. S.; PEREIRA, A. G.; OTERO, PAZ; FRAGA-CORRAL, M.; P. P. OLIVEIRA, M. BEATRIZ; PRIETO, M. A.

Frontiers in Nutrition

Frontiers

Año: 2024 vol. 11

Consumers are increasingly interested in food products with high nutritionalvalue and health benefits. For instance, fish consumption is linked with diversepositive health benefits and the prevention of certain widespread disorders,such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, or cardiovascular diseases. These benefitshave been attributed to its excellent nutritional value (large amounts of highqualityfatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals) and bioactive compounds,while being relatively low-caloric. Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus tynnus) is oneof the most consumed species worldwide, motivated by its good nutritionaland organoleptic characteristics. Recently, some organizations have proposedlimitations on its consumption due to the presence of contaminants, mainlyheavy metals such as mercury. However, several studies have reported that mostspecimens hold lower levels of contaminants than the established limits and thattheir richness in selenium effectively limits the contaminants’ bioaccessibility inthe human body. Considering this situation, this study aims to provide baselinedata about the nutritional composition and the latest evidence regarding thebeneficial effects of Atlantic bluefin tuna consumption. A review of the riskbenefitratio was also conducted to evaluate the safety of its consumption,considering the current suggested limitations to this species’ consumption.