6 Surprising Health Benefits of Caviar

Known as a luxurious seafood delicacy, caviar is the roe, or eggs, of different varieties of sturgeon fish. The most common varieties are osetra, beluga, kaluga, sevruga, sterlet, and hackleback.

Caviar’s color and size vary depending on the variety. Typically, it looks like small pearls in colors ranging from pale green to black.

And while salmon roe is often referred to as red caviar, it’s not true caviar.

Caviar has a slimy texture and a salty, fishy taste, and it pops in your mouth. It’s typically served in small amounts on its own, as a garnish, or on top of plain crackers, cucumber slices, or toast that won’t overpower its mild ocean flavor.

Besides being a culinary experience, enjoying this delicacy may provide numerous health benefits.

Here are six health benefits of caviar that are backed by science.

1. A nutritional powerhouse
Even when served in small amounts, caviar boasts an impressive nutritional profile.

A 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of caviar provides (1Trusted Source):

Calories: 75
Protein: 7 grams
Fat: 5 grams
Carbs: 1 gram
Vitamin B12: 236% of the Daily Value (DV)
Selenium: 34% of the DV
Iron: 19% of the DV
Sodium: 18% of the DV
As you can see, just one serving packs more than double your daily vitamin B12 needs. Vitamin B12 is essential for the development and function of your nervous system, as well as the production of DNA and red blood cells (2Trusted Source).

A single serving of caviar also provides small amounts of calcium and vitamins A, D, and E (1Trusted Source).

Lastly, this delicacy is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Perhaps surprisingly, these fatty acids are behind most of its potential health benefits.

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that you get 250 mg of EPA and DHA each per day. Conveniently, a 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of caviar provides 800 mg of EPA and 1,080 mg of DHA, which more than covers the recommended amounts (1Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

2. May reduce signs of skin aging
Being rich in omega-3 fatty acids, caviar has been studied for its skin health benefits.

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A recent test-tube study suggested that DHA from caviar extract may stimulate adipocytes — or fat cells — to produce adiponectin (4Trusted Source).

Adiponectin is a molecule that improves your skin’s wound-healing and anti-inflammatory processes, promotes collagen synthesis, and prevents the breakdown of collagen fibers (4Trusted Source).

Because collagen is important for your skin structure, researchers believe its extract may reduce signs of skin aging (4Trusted Source).

Further, a 12-week study in 35 women with mild to moderate signs of skin aging observed that a serum containing caviar extract and other ingredients improved skin smoothness, firmness, and dryness along with fine lines and crow’s feet (5Trusted Source).

However, it’s unknown whether administering caviar extract on its own would have the same effects (5Trusted Source).

Ultimately, because research in this field is limited to the use of caviar extracts in test-tube studies or in humans in combination with other ingredients, further research is needed to better understand the skin benefits of eating fresh caviar.

3. May improve brain and mental health
Maintaining a healthy mind is important throughout life. Promisingly, research suggests that EPA improves mood disorders and DHA maintains brain structure. Thus, the omega-3 fatty acids in caviar may promote brain and mental health (6Trusted Source).

Omega-3 fatty acids are key elements of brain cell membranes that help fight inflammation. Researchers have speculated that reducing inflammation in the brain can reduce mental health decline seen in Alzheimer’s disease (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).

Additionally, studies have found that people with depression often have lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids, suggesting that a lack of this nutrient may be a risk factor for depression (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).

Some research even suggests that supplementing with 1–2 grams of omega-3s per day may provide antidepressant effects with no serious side effects or interactions with common antidepressant medications (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

While some studies suggest that supplementing with EPA may be best for treating depression, others have found a combination of EPA and DHA — as found in caviar — to be more effective (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).

Keep in mind that not all studies conclude that omega-3s provide antidepressant effects, and no studies directly link caviar with brain and mental health. More research is needed on these topics.

4. May promote heart health
Omega-3 fatty acids are being used more and more to prevent and manage risk factors for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).

Research suggests they improve risk factors by (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source):

Lowering blood pressure. Omega-3s may reduce heart rate and tightness of blood vessels to lower blood pressure.
Improving blood cholesterol levels. Omega-3s may lower blood triglyceride levels and increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
Preventing platelet aggregation. Omega-3s prevent platelets in your blood from clumping together and forming clots, a risk factor for stroke.
As a rich marine source of omega-3 fatty acids, caviar may provide these benefits without negatively affecting standard drug therapies (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source).

That said, studies directly linking caviar intake with improved heart health in humans are needed.

5. May improve male fertility
Research suggests that omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in male fertility (19Trusted Source).

Sperm has a particularly high DHA content, and studies suggest that low DHA levels may be associated with low sperm quality. In fact, DHA deficiency is typical in men with infertility (19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).

On the contrary, fertile men tend to have higher blood and sperm levels of omega-3 fatty acids (21Trusted Source).

Eating more omega-3-rich foods may improve sperm structure, shape, and fluidity, which may help sperm bind more easily to eggs to increase fertility (19Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source).

For example, one rodent study looked at the effects of a caviar-derived product on sperm quality and quantity, finding that it significantly increased sperm count, motility, and survival (22Trusted Source).

Still, further studies in humans are needed to fully understand omega-3 fatty acids’ effect on male fertility.

6. May support your immune system
Both omega-3 fatty acids and selenium in caviar may support your immune system.

Firstly, omega-3s reduce inflammation and restore the barrier function of your skin, intestines, and lungs, which helps block the passage of harmful bacteria to keep you healthy (23Trusted Source).

They also reduce pro-inflammatory markers, indicating that they fight inflammation. Plus, they may help repair damaged white blood-cells, which are immune cells that protect you from disease (23Trusted Source).

Secondly, selenium is important for starting and regulating immune responses (24Trusted Source).

Research shows that it increases antibody production and increases the activity of macrophages, a type of white blood cells that fight and remove harmful substances in your body (25Trusted Source).

The bottom line
Caviar is the eggs, or roe, harvested from certain sturgeon fish.

Besides being a delicacy, it’s highly nutritious, providing great amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, and selenium, among other vitamins and minerals — even in small serving sizes.

If you’re looking for an excuse to eat caviar every once in a while, you’ll be pleased to know that it may benefit the health of your skin, brain, heart, and immune system. The omega-3s in caviar may also boost male fertility.

However, keep in mind that most research is based on test-tube or animal studies, often using extracts, and that studies in humans eating fresh caviar are needed to learn more about the effects.

We won’t let that stop us from enjoying it, though.