Almost no wild Atlantic salmon reaches a shop. NOAA says commercial and recreational fishing for Atlantic salmon is prohibited in the United States, that its fisheries closed in 1948, and that every Atlantic salmon sold in US seafood markets is farm-raised. Wild-caught Atlantic salmon is described as virtually absent from markets elsewhere too, and most salmon sold as wild is Pacific salmon, a different group of species.
Wild and farmed Atlantic salmon are the same species, Salmo salar. The wild fish hatches in a river, feeds at sea, and returns to its birth river to spawn. Unlike Pacific salmon, it does not necessarily die afterward and can spawn several times, though repeat spawners are becoming rare. Its pink color comes from carotenoid pigments such as astaxanthin, which wild salmon get from eating krill and other small shellfish.
Wild fish are leaner. Raw wild Atlantic salmon has 121 kcal, 5.4 g of fat and 1.22 g of EPA plus DHA in 3 oz (85 g), against 177 kcal, 11.4 g and 1.67 g for raw farmed salmon, which has its own page: farmed Atlantic salmon. Wild fish also carry parasites. In a Norwegian survey, all 90 wild Atlantic salmon had Anisakis worm larvae, so wild salmon eaten raw should be frozen first.
Health benefits of wild Atlantic salmon
The top findings from 31 studies, strongest evidence first
What the stars mean
- Strong. Several randomized trials, pooled in a meta-analysis, point the same way, or regulators (FDA or EFSA) have approved the claim.
- Moderate. Good randomized trials support it, but there are fewer of them, or their results vary.
- Limited. Small, short or single trials, or mixed results. Promising, but it needs confirmation.
Population and lab studies get no stars: they show a link or a mechanism, not proof.
How we rate evidence →- ★★Lower CRP, an inflammation markerSalmon three times a week on a calorie-cut diet lowered CRP, a marker of inflammation, by 32% in 8 weeks, though everyone lost weight. Eating 300 g of salmon a week for 6 months lowered CRP by 0.5 mg/L.
- ★★Lower triglycerides in women with high triglyceridesEating 80 g of salmon five days a week for 8 weeks lowered triglycerides from their starting level in Chinese women with high triglycerides. Herring and a local farmed fish (pompano) did too.
- ★★No fewer heart events from omega-3 capsulesIn 86 trials, mostly of capsules, omega-3 made little or no difference to deaths or heart events, but lowered triglycerides by about 15%. A 1 g fish oil capsule a day for about 5 years did not lower major heart events or cancer in 25,871 adults.
- ★★No higher thinking scores in preschoolersPreschoolers who ate farmed salmon three times a week for 16 weeks did not score higher overall on thinking tests than those who ate meat. Two of eight subtests improved more with salmon.
- ★Lower triglycerides and LDL in healthy adultsEating 125 g of salmon a day for 4 weeks lowered triglycerides by 15% and LDL cholesterol by 7% in healthy adults. There was no separate control group.
All 31 studies, strongest evidence first
Eating salmon three times a week on a calorie-cut diet lowered the inflammation marker CRP by 32% in 8 weeks
Randomized trial in 324 overweight adults aged 20 to 40 in Iceland, Spain and Ireland, all eating 30% fewer calories. Salmon (three 150 g portions a week) also lowered IL-6 by 18.4% and a prostaglandin marker by 18.5%. Cod lowered CRP and IL-6 by less, and fish oil capsules and placebo capsules did not change anything significantly. Everyone lost weight, which also lowers inflammation.
Preschool children who ate farmed Atlantic salmon three times a week for 16 weeks did not score higher overall on thinking tests than children who ate meat
Randomized trial in 205 children aged 4 to 6. Blood EPA and DHA rose on salmon, but the markers of vitamin D and iodine did not. Two of eight raw subtest scores (symbol search and picture concepts) improved more with salmon, which the authors read as a modest sign at most.
Eating 300 g of salmon a week for 6 months lowered CRP by 0.5 mg/L but did not change inflammation markers in the colon
Randomized trial in which people got dietary advice alone, or advice plus 300 g of salmon or cod a week. CRP was measured in 161 people, and cod lowered it by 0.4 mg/L. In a subgroup of 52, markers in stool and in colon biopsies did not differ between groups.
Eating 80 g of salmon five days a week for 8 weeks lowered triglycerides and the inflammation markers TNF-α and IL-6 in Chinese women with high triglycerides
Randomized trial in 126 women aged 35 to 70 comparing Norwegian salmon, herring, a local farmed fish (pompano) and a mix of common meats. Compared with their own baseline, triglycerides fell in all three oily fish groups, but TNF-α fell and adiponectin rose only with salmon and herring, and IL-6 fell only with salmon.
Omega-3 fats, mostly from capsules, made little or no difference to deaths or heart events in 86 trials, but lowered triglycerides by about 15%
Cochrane review of 86 trials lasting at least 12 months (162,796 people). Long-chain omega-3 had little or no effect on death from any cause (risk ratio 0.97) or cardiovascular events (0.96), and may slightly lower coronary heart disease events (0.91). Most trials used capsules, and the authors found little evidence about eating fish itself.
1 g a day of fish oil capsules for about 5 years did not lower major cardiovascular events or cancer in 25,871 adults
Supplement trial, not a food: US men aged 50 and older and women aged 55 and older at usual risk took marine omega-3 or placebo. Major cardiovascular events occurred in 386 people on omega-3 and 419 on placebo (hazard ratio 0.92, not significant), and total heart attacks had a hazard ratio of 0.72 as a secondary result. Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others.
4 g a day of purified EPA (icosapent ethyl) lowered major cardiovascular events from 22.0% to 17.2% in people with high triglycerides on statins
Prescription drug trial, not fish or fish oil capsules: 8,179 patients took 2 g of icosapent ethyl twice a day or placebo for a median of 4.9 years (hazard ratio 0.75). Hospitalization for atrial fibrillation or flutter was more common on the drug, 3.1% against 2.1%. Funded by Amarin Pharma.
4 g a day of an EPA and DHA drug did not lower major cardiovascular events compared with corn oil in high-risk patients
Prescription omega-3 carboxylic acid trial, not a food, in 13,078 statin-treated patients with high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol. It was stopped early. The main outcome occurred in 12.0% on omega-3 and 12.2% on corn oil (hazard ratio 0.99), and digestive side effects were more common, 24.7% against 14.7%.
1 g a day of fish oil capsules for 7.4 years did not lower serious vascular events in 15,480 people with diabetes
Supplement trial in adults with diabetes and no known heart disease, using omega-3 capsules or olive oil placebo. Serious vascular events occurred in 8.9% on omega-3 and 9.2% on placebo (rate ratio 0.97), and deaths from any cause in 9.7% against 10.2%. Funded by the British Heart Foundation and others.
Eating 125 g of salmon a day for 4 weeks lowered triglycerides by 15% and LDL cholesterol by 7% in healthy adults
48 non-obese adults aged 20 to 55 ate salmon for 4 weeks and then no fish for 4 weeks (41 finished), and the two periods were compared in the same people with no separate control group. Salmon also lowered blood pressure by 4% and raised HDL cholesterol by 5%.
250 g of salmon a day for 4 weeks raised blood astaxanthin more with farmed than wild salmon early on, but the difference was gone by day 28
Randomized double-blind trial in 28 healthy men comparing wild Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus) with farmed Atlantic salmon, each giving 5 µg of the red pigment astaxanthin per gram. Blood levels leveled off at 39 nmol/L on wild and 52 nmol/L on farmed salmon. It measured a pigment in blood, not health.
Eating farmed Atlantic salmon twice a week for 4 weeks lowered triglycerides and raised HDL cholesterol
Crossover trial in 19 overweight adults who ate 90, 180 or 270 g of farmed salmon twice a week, each dose for 4 weeks. Large LDL particles rose with the dose, and the overall lipoprotein pattern moved in a direction linked to lower heart disease risk. The group was small. The paper’s funding information lists Cooke Aquaculture, a salmon farming company.
Two salmon meals a week raised red blood cell omega-3 about as much as salmon oil capsules with the same amount, and also raised selenium
Trial in 44 healthy volunteers who ate two 120 g servings of salmon a week or took 2, 4 or 6 salmon oil capsules a day for 8 weeks. Salmon gave 0.82 g a day of long-chain omega-3. Plasma selenium rose by 12.2 µg/L with salmon and by 1.57 µg/L with capsules.
Two portions a week of farmed salmon raised on rapeseed oil raised vitamin D status and lowered triglycerides over 18 weeks
Randomized trial in 51 healthy adults eating farmed salmon fed mostly fish oil (2.1 g of EPA plus DHA per 100 g of fillet) or mostly rapeseed oil (0.9 g), or no extra salmon. The omega-3 index rose with both kinds, and heart rate was lower on the fish-oil salmon at 9 weeks. Other markers did not change.
About 700 g a week of Atlantic salmon fed fish oil lowered triglycerides and two inflammation markers in heart patients, more than salmon fed rapeseed oil
Double-blind trial in 60 people with coronary heart disease eating differently fed farmed salmon for 6 weeks: raised on 100% fish oil, 100% rapeseed oil, or half of each. Only the fish-oil group had lower triglycerides, VCAM-1 and IL-6 compared with the other two groups, and blood fatty acids matched the fillets.
750 g a week of farmed salmon for 4 weeks lowered triglycerides and raised HDL cholesterol compared with chicken, and cod did not
Randomized trial in 38 healthy, normal-weight young adults who ate 750 g a week of salmon, cod or chicken at dinner. Salmon also raised HDL cholesterol compared with cod. Blood sugar control did not differ between the groups.
200 g of smoked farmed salmon a week for 8 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 8.2 mg/dL while it rose in the control group, but main lipid measures did not differ
Randomized trial in 38 pair-matched women aged 18 to 30 with excess weight. LDL fell 8.2 mg/dL on salmon and rose 9.5 mg/dL in the control group, while total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides did not differ significantly at the end. In women with a higher waist-to-height ratio, triglycerides rose by 50.0 mg/dL on salmon, so the authors call for more research.
Two 150 g portions of farmed salmon a week in pregnancy did not change most inflammation markers
Part of the Salmon in Pregnancy Study: 123 women ate the salmon or kept a diet low in oily fish from week 20 until delivery. IL-6, TNF-α and most other markers did not differ between groups. One adhesion marker (sICAM-1) already differed at the start and did not differ after adjusting for it.
A salmon protein supplement taken for 8 weeks did not improve blood sugar after a glucose test in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes
Double-blind trial in 88 adults with raised blood sugar; 74 were analyzed. They took 7.5 g a day of salmon fish protein, a supplement and not the fish itself, or placebo. It had no significant effect on glucose tolerance, cholesterol, weight or blood pressure.
Each extra 100 g of fish a day was linked to lower risks of death, heart disease, stroke, heart failure and depression
Umbrella review of 34 meta-analyses of prospective cohorts (298 studies). Per 100 g a day, summary relative risks were 0.92 for death from any cause, 0.75 for cardiovascular death, 0.88 for coronary heart disease and 0.86 for stroke, rated moderate-quality evidence. Most cancers showed no significant link. Fish type and cooking method were not separated.
Fatty fish, but not lean fish, was linked to lower coronary heart disease risk (risk ratio 0.92)
Meta-analysis of 19 prospective reports, with 1,320,596 person-years of follow-up for fatty fish. Fatty fish went with lower coronary heart disease incidence (0.92), coronary death (0.83) and total mortality (0.97), and lean fish did not. Overall cardiovascular disease showed no significant link for either type.
Higher fish intake was linked to lower coronary heart disease incidence (risk ratio 0.91) and mortality (0.85)
Meta-analysis of 40 prospective cohort studies comparing the highest with the lowest fish intake. Each extra 20 g a day went with about 4% lower incidence and mortality. Cohorts cannot show that fish caused the difference, and earlier studies had given inconsistent results for incidence.
A 20 g a day increase in fish was linked to lower cardiovascular death (relative risk 0.96) but only a marginal drop in all-cause death
Dose-response meta-analysis of 14 prospective cohorts. The link was significant only in Asian studies. In Western studies the pattern looked U-shaped, with the lowest risk near 20 g a day. The authors suggest fish type and cooking method may matter.
Each extra weekly serving of fish was linked to lower risks of dementia (0.95) and Alzheimer disease (0.93)
Meta-analysis of 21 studies (181,580 people) followed for 2.1 to 21 years. Each extra 0.1 g a day of dietary DHA went with a lower Alzheimer disease risk (0.63), but results differed a lot between studies and the link was not a straight line.
Eating tuna or other baked or broiled fish 1 to 4 times a week was linked to 28% lower risk of atrial fibrillation, but fried fish was not
Cohort of 4815 US adults aged 65 and older followed for 12 years, with 980 cases. Intake of 5 or more times a week went with 31% lower risk (hazard ratio 0.69). Only baked or broiled fish tracked with omega-3 in blood. Fried fish and fish sandwiches did not, and salmon is not reported separately.
Baked or broiled fish 5 or more times a week was linked to lower heart failure risk (hazard ratio 0.70), and fried fish to higher risk (1.48)
Cohort of 84,493 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 in the Women’s Health Initiative, with fish intake from a food questionnaire. Fried fish at 1 or more servings a week was compared with less than 1 a month. EPA plus DHA intake itself was not significantly linked to heart failure.
In 16 cohort studies, fish intake and type 2 diabetes risk pointed different ways by region: higher in US studies, lower in Asian and Australian ones
Meta-analysis of 16 prospective studies (527,441 people, 24,082 diabetes cases). Per extra weekly serving, risk ratios were 1.05 in US studies, 1.03 in European studies (not significant) and 0.98 in Asian and Australian studies. The authors call the results heterogeneous and say current fish advice should stay.
Wild Atlantic salmon fillets had about a third of the fat of farmed fillets but three times the dioxins and mercury, all below EU limits
Measurements in fish, not in people: fillets from 23 wild, 20 farmed and 17 escaped Atlantic salmon. Marine long-chain omega-3 made up 24.1% of the fat in wild fish and 8.9% in farmed fish. The authors note that a 150 g portion a week of either type gives more EPA and DHA (2.1 g and 1.8 g) than the recommended weekly intake.
Wild Atlantic salmon had more dioxins, PCBs and mercury, but also more DHA and selenium, than farmed salmon
Measurements in fish, not in people. Farmed fillets had more total fat, with more omega-6 fat, and EPA did not differ significantly. All contaminants were well below EU limits, and a 200 g portion a week of either type gives 3.2 g or 2.8 g of EPA plus DHA, almost twice the 1.75 g a week the European Food Safety Authority considers adequate.
Wild Atlantic salmon fillets held 9.4 µg of vitamin D3 per 100 g from the North Sea and 18.5 µg from the Baltic Sea
Measurements in fish, not in people. In the same paper, farmed salmon held 2.9 to 9.5 µg per 100 g after a 12-week feeding trial with different feed levels, and 2018 farmed data showed 2.3 to 7.3 µg. The authors say data on vitamin D in salmon are very limited.
In one analysis, farmed salmon had about 25% of the vitamin D that wild salmon had
Measurements in fish, not in people. The Boston University team measured vitamin D3 in several fish species and the effect of baking and frying, and found it varied widely even within a species. They concluded that food tables listing vitamin D in fish need updating. The abstract does not say which wild salmon were tested.
Who should be careful with wild Atlantic salmon
Most people can eat wild Atlantic salmon freely. Take a little care if one of these applies:
- Raw wild salmon. All 90 wild Atlantic salmon in a Norwegian survey carried Anisakis worm larvae, so raw wild salmon should be frozen first, at -4°F (-20°C) for 7 days, per the FDA. Pregnant women, children, older adults and people with weakened immunity should skip raw fish and refrigerated smoked salmon unless it is cooked.
- Fish allergy. Fish is one of the nine major allergens in US law, and 0.9% of US adults had a fin fish allergy in a 2019 survey. Allergic people may react to several fish, though some tolerate certain kinds, so ask an allergist before trying salmon.
- Mercury. This is a small concern for salmon. The FDA and EPA list it as a Best Choice, with 2 to 3 servings of 4 ounces a week in pregnancy, and FDA tests found an average of 0.022 ppm of mercury in fresh or frozen salmon.
How to choose, store and eat wild Atlantic salmon
- Wild or farmed: wild is leaner, with 121 kcal and 5.4 g of fat in 3 oz against 177 kcal and 11.4 g for farmed Atlantic salmon. Contaminant studies disagree: a 2004 survey in Science found more organochlorines in farmed fish, while analyses in 2017 and 2020 found more dioxins, PCBs and mercury in wild fish, all below EU limits.
- Baked or broiled: in a large cohort of women, baked or broiled fish 5 or more times a week went with a hazard ratio of 0.70 for heart failure, and fried fish with 1.48. The FDA says to cook fish to 145°F (63°C), when the flesh separates easily with a fork.
- Canned or frozen: canned salmon in the US is usually wild Pacific salmon, so it is rarely wild Atlantic. Frozen fillets should be hard, with no frost or ice crystals, which can mean they thawed or sat for a long time.
Choose fresh fillets that smell mild, with firm flesh that springs back when pressed, and keep them at 40°F (4°C) or below for up to 2 days, or freeze them. A JAMA review concluded that for adults the benefits of eating fish exceed the potential risks from contaminants.
Sources
- Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Chapter 5: Parasites. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- Mo TA, Fossøy F, Poppe TT. Increasing intensities of Anisakis simplex (Rudolphi, 1809 det. Krabbe, 1878) larvae with weight and sea age in returning adult Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., of coastal waters of Norway. J Fish Dis. 2021.
- Deardorff TL, Kent ML. Prevalence of larval Anisakis simplex in pen-reared and wild-caught salmon (Salmonidae) from Puget Sound, Washington. J Wildl Dis. 1989.
- Selecting and serving fresh and frozen seafood safely. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- Advice about eating fish. U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. Revised October 2021.
- Mercury levels in commercial fish and shellfish (1990-2012). U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- Food allergies. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, Jiang J, et al. Prevalence and Severity of Food Allergies Among US Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2019.
- Kuehn A, Swoboda I, Arumugam K, Hilger C, et al. Fish allergens at a glance: variable allergenicity of parvalbumins, the major fish allergens. Front Immunol. 2014.
- Hites RA, Foran JA, Carpenter DO, Hamilton MC, et al. Global assessment of organic contaminants in farmed salmon. Science. 2004.
- Jensen IJ, Eilertsen KE, Otnæs CHA, Mæhre HK, et al. An update on the content of fatty acids, dioxins, PCBs and heavy metals in farmed, escaped and wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in Norway. Foods. 2020.
- Lundebye AK, Lock EJ, Rasinger JD, Nøstbakken OJ, et al. Lower levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants, metals and the marine omega 3-fatty acid DHA in farmed compared to wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Environ Res. 2017.
- Mozaffarian D, Rimm EB. Fish intake, contaminants, and human health: evaluating the risks and the benefits. JAMA. 2006.
- Salmon as food. Wikipedia.
History of wild Atlantic salmon
Linnaeus gave the species its name, Salmo salar, in 1758. The meaning of salar is uncertain: one account says “leaper”, while others suggest “resident of salt water”.
Atlantic salmon were once native to many coastal rivers northeast of the Hudson River in New York. NOAA says dams, pollution and overfishing cut the population until US fisheries closed in 1948. A historian cited on Wikipedia estimated that over half of the historical runs in North America were lost by 1850, and a bill to protect salmon in Lake Ontario was introduced in the Canadian Parliament as early as 1798.
In the 1950s, salmon from rivers in the US, Canada and Europe were found to gather in the sea around Greenland and the Faroe Islands, and a drift-net fishery grew up there. Catches later crashed. The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization, an international council that includes Canada, the EU, Iceland, Norway, Russia, the UK and the US, was set up in 1983 to protect the stocks.
Farming changed the market. Modern sea-cage salmon farming began in Norway in the late 1960s, and a 2004 paper in Science noted that global farmed salmon output had grown by a factor of 40 in two decades. Today nearly all Atlantic salmon on sale is farmed, mostly in Norway, Chile, Canada, the UK, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Russia and Tasmania.
Farmed salmon also changed sushi. According to Wikipedia, Japan did not eat raw salmon before refrigeration, and salmon sashimi and sushi came into use only recently, with the introduction of parasite-free Norwegian salmon in the late 1980s. The FDA’s guidance says fish raised only on pelleted feed do not normally carry the same parasite hazard as fish that eat infected prey.
Wild Atlantic salmon still return to some rivers. NOAA lists the Gulf of Maine population, found in rivers in central and eastern Maine, as endangered, and says only 75 of the more than 400 dams along rivers that support wild Atlantic salmon have fishways.
Sources
- Atlantic salmon. NOAA Fisheries species profile.
- Atlantic salmon. Wikipedia.
- Aquaculture of salmonids. Wikipedia.
- Salmon as food. Wikipedia.
- Hites RA, Foran JA, Carpenter DO, Hamilton MC, et al. Global assessment of organic contaminants in farmed salmon. Science. 2004.
- Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Chapter 5: Parasites. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Frequently asked questions about wild Atlantic salmon
Is wild Atlantic salmon good for you?
For most people, yes. Raw wild Atlantic salmon has 19.8 g of protein, 142 kcal and 1.44 g of EPA plus DHA per 100 g, and 3 oz covers 113% of the daily value for vitamin B12. In trials, eating salmon lowered the inflammation marker CRP (by 32% in one diet trial) and, in several trials, triglycerides, but these used farmed or unspecified salmon, not wild Atlantic. Large cohorts link fish to lower heart risk but cannot prove cause.
Is wild salmon healthier than farmed salmon?
Neither is clearly better. Wild Atlantic salmon has 121 kcal, 5.4 g of fat and 1.22 g of EPA plus DHA in 3 oz, against 177 kcal, 11.4 g and 1.67 g for farmed. In Norwegian fillets, wild fish had about three times the dioxins and mercury of farmed fish, but both stayed below EU limits. No trial here compared heart outcomes, and in the one trial that fed men wild or farmed salmon, blood levels of the pigment astaxanthin were the same by day 28.
Can you buy wild Atlantic salmon?
Almost never in the United States. NOAA says commercial and recreational fishing for Atlantic salmon is prohibited there and all Atlantic salmon in US seafood markets is farm-raised. Salmon sold as wild is usually Pacific salmon, such as sockeye. Elsewhere, wild-caught Atlantic salmon is described as virtually absent from the market.
Can you eat wild salmon raw?
Only if it was frozen first. In a Norwegian survey, all 90 wild Atlantic salmon had Anisakis worm larvae, and all but two had them in the muscle. The FDA says freezing at -4°F (-20°C) for 7 days kills parasites, but it does not kill all germs, so cooking is the safest route. Pregnant women, children, older adults and people with weakened immunity should avoid raw fish.
How much salmon should you eat a week?
The FDA and EPA advise 2 to 3 servings a week of Best Choices fish such as salmon during pregnancy and breastfeeding (a serving is 4 ounces), and 2 servings a week for children, in smaller portions by age. Two 3 oz (85 g) servings of raw wild Atlantic salmon give about 2.4 g of EPA plus DHA, above the 1.75 g a week that the European Food Safety Authority considers adequate. No trial here sets an ideal amount; trials used 90 to 270 g twice a week.
Does salmon have mercury?
Very little. FDA testing of 94 fresh or frozen salmon samples found an average of 0.022 ppm of mercury, and salmon is on the FDA and EPA Best Choices list. A Norwegian analysis found wild Atlantic fillets with about three times the mercury of farmed fillets, still well below EU limits.
Does wild salmon have vitamin D?
Yes, in widely varying amounts. Wild Atlantic salmon from the North Sea held 9.4 µg of vitamin D3 per 100 g and from the Baltic Sea 18.5 µg, and the daily value is 20 µg. The USDA entry used on this site lists no vitamin D for wild Atlantic salmon, while the farmed entry shows 9.4 µg in 3 oz. One analysis found farmed salmon had about 25% of the vitamin D of wild salmon.
Is wild salmon high in protein?
Yes. Raw wild Atlantic salmon has 19.8 g of protein per 100 g, or 16.9 g in a 3 oz (85 g) serving, which is 34% of the daily value. About 58% of its calories come from protein, and it scores 100 out of 100 for essential amino acids.