Is eating herring good for your heart?

Herring is sometimes overlooked beside more fashionable options like salmon, but gram for gram it competes strongly on every key nutrient. What makes it especially appealing is the combination of high omega-3 content, low mercury levels, low cost, and sustainable wild fisheries.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: EPA and DHA

The long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are the primary reason oily fish are protective for the heart and brain. Your body cannot make adequate amounts from plant-based ALA; you need direct sources. Herring reliably delivers 1.5–2 g of combined EPA + DHA per 100 g fillet — comparable to salmon and higher than most other fish⁴.

EPA and DHA reduce triglycerides, improve the flexibility of red blood cell membranes, modestly lower blood pressure, and dampen the systemic inflammation that underlies atherosclerosis. DHA is also the dominant structural fat in the brain and retina, making it important across the lifespan.

Vitamin D

Herring is one of the few genuinely good dietary sources of vitamin D, which most people are chronically short of. A 100 g serving provides roughly 300–400 IU — a meaningful contribution toward the typical recommended intake of 600–800 IU per day. Because vitamin D deficiency is widespread in northern latitudes and among people who spend limited time outdoors, regular herring consumption is one practical way to close that gap through food rather than supplementation.

Vitamin B12 and Selenium

A 100 g serving of herring provides well over 100% of the daily reference intake for vitamin B12, which is essential for nerve function, red blood cell formation, and homocysteine metabolism. Selenium, present at around 30–40 mcg per 100 g, supports thyroid hormone synthesis and acts as a cofactor for glutathione peroxidase, one of the body's main antioxidant enzymes.

Mercury: A Non-Issue for Herring

Small, short-lived fish like herring accumulate far less mercury than large predatory fish such as tuna, swordfish, or shark. The FDA and EPA classify herring as a "best choice" fish for consumption, including during pregnancy, because its mercury load is negligible. This makes it one of the few oily fish that can be eaten freely — two to four servings per week — without any meaningful mercury concern.

How to Eat Herring

Herring is culturally versatile and available in several forms:

• Canned herring (kipper snacks, smoked herring): The most convenient option, with a long shelf life. Excellent nutritional profile preserved through smoking and canning.
• Pickled herring: A Scandinavian and Eastern European staple. The pickling process preserves the fish well, though sodium content can be high — rinse if needed.
• Smoked herring (kippers): Traditional British breakfast fish. Has a strong flavor; good with eggs or on toast.
• Fresh or frozen herring fillets: Mild in flavor, quick to cook, and inexpensive. Grill, bake, or pan-fry; pairs well with mustard, dill, and lemon.

Canned and pickled herring with bones left in are an additional source of bioavailable calcium — similar to canned sardines.

See our sardines page and omega-3 fatty acids page for more on related fish and the underlying fatty acid science.

Clinical Trials on Herring and Cardiovascular Risk

Two well-designed randomized crossover trials from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden directly tested herring consumption in overweight human subjects.

Lindqvist et al. (2007) — PMID 17268414: Overweight subjects consumed 150 g of oven-baked herring fillets per day, five days per week, for four weeks, then crossed over to a reference diet of matched lean pork and chicken. Plasma HDL cholesterol was significantly higher after the herring diet compared to the reference diet (1.22 vs. 1.13 mmol/L, p = 0.036). The authors noted that this HDL-raising effect could be especially valuable for insulin-resistant and obese individuals, who commonly have low HDL¹.

Lindqvist et al. (2009) — PMID 18634706: A follow-up crossover study in 35 overweight men given 150 g baked herring per day for six weeks confirmed the lipoprotein-improving effect. HDL rose significantly, and triglycerides trended downward. Importantly, no adverse effects on oxidative stress markers or inflammatory biomarkers (CRP, IL-6, IL-18) were observed, addressing concerns that high intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids might increase lipid peroxidation. The lipid component of herring was identified as the likely driver of the lipoprotein benefit².

Both studies used whole herring fillets at realistic, sustainable intake levels — not supplements — making the findings directly applicable to dietary practice.

Systematic Review of Fish and Cardiovascular Health

A 2021 systematic review by Krittanawong et al. (PMID 33444594) synthesized 24 observational studies involving 714,526 individuals. The review found that non-fried fish consumption was associated with reduced risk of overall cardiovascular disease events and myocardial infarction. The authors concluded that fish consumption — particularly oily fish rich in EPA and DHA — should be considered part of a heart-healthy dietary pattern³. Herring, as one of the richest dietary sources of marine omega-3s, fits squarely within this recommendation.

Nutritional Characterization Studies

Aro et al. (2005) — PMID 15740028: Analyzed fatty acid composition and fat-soluble vitamins in three commercially salted Icelandic herring products over their shelf lives of 6 and 12 months. The study confirmed that salted herring products maintain their high EPA and DHA content and vitamin D levels throughout shelf life, supporting their use as a reliable dietary source of these nutrients⁴.

Wu et al. (2022) — PMID 36345506: Characterized the nutritional composition of five anatomical cuts from spring and fall herring (head, backbone, viscera plus belly flap, tail, and fillet). Fillets contained 15–20% protein and a high proportion of long-chain n-3 PUFA. Across all cuts, herring showed high essential amino acid profiles (up to 43.3% of total amino acids), significant iodine and selenium content, and vitamins E, D, and B12⁵. The study also found that co-product fractions — parts not typically consumed in Western markets — contained up to 43.1% n-3 PUFA of total fatty acids, highlighting the nutritional value being left on the table when only fillets are used.

Confidence Assessment

The evidence for herring and cardiovascular benefit is moderately strong. The two Swedish clinical trials are controlled crossover designs with direct herring consumption — a higher-quality evidence level than most supplement or fish oil trials, which often use capsules rather than whole food. The consistent finding of improved HDL across both studies, combined with the large epidemiological base supporting fish consumption generally, makes a reasonable case for regularly including herring in the diet. The main limitation is that both clinical trials were conducted by the same research group and involved overweight Nordic men; broader replication across different populations would strengthen confidence further. For the individual, however, the benefit-to-risk profile of herring is exceptionally favorable given its nutrient density, low mercury, and low cost.