How Often Is Too Often to Eat Sushi or Other Raw Fish? (2024)

Sushi is one of the ways people might eat raw fish. However, it's best to limit or eliminate raw fish from your diet. Consuming raw or partially cooked seafood can increase your risk of exposure to bacteria, parasites, and pollutants that can make you sick.

Read on to learn more about raw fish, including its safety, possible benefits, and how to consume it properly.

There are several types of raw fish or raw fish dishes, including:

• Ceviche, seafood cuts in a citrus juice marinade
• Poke, seafood cuts mixed with rice, soy sauce, and veggies
• Raw shellfish, like mollusks, oysters, scallops, and shrimp
• Refrigerated smoked seafood
• Sashimi, raw seafood slices
• Seafood cooked rare
  
• Sushi
• Undercooked seafood

Is Raw Fish Safe?

Though you can eat raw fish, there are some risks to eating it this way. Those risks include exposure to bacteria, parasites, and pollutants.

Bacteria

Bacteria exist on the surface of raw fish and in its juices. Partially cooked seafood can also lead to more bacterial growth.

Eating raw and undercooked fish and oysters can increase the risk of getting sick from bacteria. This includes Vibrio bacteria that cause an infection called vibriosis. A mild vibriosis infection leads to diarrhea and vomiting. However, in severe vibriosis cases, a person may experience bloodstream infections or skin lesions with blisters.

Parasites

You may also have exposure to parasites like tapeworms. Diphyllobothrium latem and related species are the largest tapeworms that can infect humans who consume raw fish, especially freshwater fish. Infections are most common in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Pollutants

Some types of fish, like sharks and swordfish, may also contain higher levels of pollutants, such as dioxins and methylmercury.

Dioxins are chemical compounds that are toxic and have a prolonged breakdown time in the environment. These compounds can contribute to health issues or conditions like cancer, immune system damage, or reproductive problems.

Methylmercury is considered a neurotoxin, which is toxic to nerve tissue. Too much methylmercury in the body can cause problems with functions that involve nerves, like movement coordination and peripheral vision.

Though there are risks with eating raw fish, having seafood as part of your diet can be beneficial. Fish is a good source of:

• Iodine
• Lean protein
• Omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy fats
• Vitamins A, D, and E

Collectively, consuming these nutrients is good for brain health, eye health, and thyroid functioning.

Tips for Consuming It Safely

If you decide to eat raw fish, consider options that have been frozen beforehand. Frozen seafood is not entirely germ-free, but freezing seafood can kill parasites in the food.

Still, the safest way to eat seafood is to cook it. Ensure it reaches an internal temperature of at least 145 Fahrenheit when cooking fish at home.

Also, while there isn't a one-size-fits-all recommendation of how much raw fish you should eat, the recommendation for cooked fish is two servings of fish per week. One serving is 3 ounces cooked.

Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, registered dietitian nutritionist and contributing nutrition editor, told Health that you should be sure you have "a lot of trust" in the establishment where you might eat seafood.

"Look for restaurants with 'A' health inspection ratings, read reviews, and don't be afraid to ask questions—a restaurant should be able to describe to you exactly how they have prepared your fish in order to kill parasites and keep it safe," explained Sass.

Some people are considered high risk for getting sick from certain foods. The following people who should avoid raw or undercooked seafood include:

• Adults 65 and older
• Babies and young children
• People with compromised immune systems
• Pregnant people

Considerations for Pregnant Individuals

Pregnant people are discouraged from consuming raw fish since they could risk potentially exposing the growing fetus to harmful bacteria or parasites. That doesn't mean that they cannot have fish at all. Instead, pregnant people should limit their intakes to specific amounts and types of seafood.

If you are pregnant, you should stick to two or three servings of fish per week that are low in mercury. Not only is it toxic at high levels, but babies exposed to mercury in the womb can experience brain and nervous system problems.

Low-mercury fish options can include salmon, tilapia, and shrimp. Avoid tuna, swordfish, king mackerel, and shark since they have higher mercury concentrations.

A Quick Review

Although people eat raw fish in different ways, enjoying fish that's not cooked comes with risks. Raw fish consumption may lead to outcomes such as infections or problems with your nervous system.

Additionally, everyone cannot eat raw fish—like younger children and older adults. The best way to eat fish is to enjoy it fully cooked and choose options that have been frozen first if you decide to consume raw fish.