They’re oily. They’re bony. They have a strong fishy smell, salty taste and soft texture that doesn’t appeal to many. Yet, canned sardines appear to be having a moment.
Search “#sardines” on TikTok and you’ll find over 90,000 videos of people sharing recipes that are supposed to make sardines taste good. Some cook them in an air fryer to make the texture crunchy (and thus more palatable). Others mix them with Sriracha and olive oil and eat them on toast and crackers.
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People are trying whatever it takes to help them “sardinemaxx,” the term some use for including as many sardines as possible into their diet.
But why the fuss over these tinned fish? It’s thanks to the health benefits of these oily morsels, particularly the effects they can have on the skin, experts told Northeastern Global News (NGN).
“The reason they’re having their moment is because they’re really packed with a lot of [nutrients],” Leila Deravi, a skincare expert, told NGN. “They’re in these little packaged tin cans that just happen to be super loaded with omega-3s and…vitamins.”
Sardines are full of vitamin B12, which supports the nervous system, and vitamin D, which contributes to bone health and can be hard to find naturally in many foods, said Deravi, who is also an associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern University.
Sardines also contain selenium, a mineral that makes thyroid hormones that help regulate metabolism, and high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids that reduce triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood, and slow the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
1/12/24 – BOSTON, MA. – Northeastern associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology Leila Deravi works in her lab in the EXP research building on Friday, Jan. 12, 2023. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University
03/17/26 – BOSTON, MA. – Northeastern professor Brie Reid, a developmental psychobiologist, poses for a portrait on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University
Leila Deravi, [L] an associate professor at Northeastern University and a skincare expert and Brie Reid [R], an assistant psychology professor at Northeastern said canned sardines offer nutritional benefits while being affordable. Photos by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University
The concentration of these nutrients is high within these palm-sized slices of fish. A 100-gram serving with about 2 to 5 sardines in oil contains more than 370% of the recommended daily value (DV) of vitamin B12, 96% of the recommended DV of selenium and 24% of the recommended DV for vitamin D. There’s also 982 milligrams of omega-3s per 3.5 ounce serving — more than even some omega-3 supplements provide, Deravi said.
Many of these nutrients are anti-inflammatory, she added, meaning they help reduce redness and swelling in the skin. This is why, despite the taste, many might be forcing themselves to down these fish.
Why sardines, specifically, when other fish, like salmon, offer similar benefits?
Canned sardines are also cheap. A 3.75-ounce can of sardines sells for as little as $1.39, depending on the brand. This is also likely a factor in their recent popularity, said Brie Reid, an assistant psychology professor at Northeastern who studies the effects of stress and nutrition on one’s health.
With grocery prices on the rise — the latest numbers from the United States Department of Agriculture’s consumer price index show an increase, on average, by 2.4% between February 2025 and February 2026 — many shoppers choose foods that pack the highest punch when it comes to nutritional value and expense, Reid said.
“Affordability of food is really key,” Reid said. “All of us are feeling oppressed at the grocery store right now.”
But will gobbling multiple tins of sardines a week magically take your face from blemished to glowing and improve your overall wellness? Not quite.
Reid said many foods go through “cyclical patterns” of popularity due to their purported benefits. Before canned sardines, canned tuna was all the rage. Red meat and snacks that claim to be high in protein are also among products now considered “superfoods” thanks to what they supposedly do for your health. But leaning on one or even a few superfoods isn’t enough.
“If there was a holy grail of something we could just have once a day and it [changes] your life and your skin, everybody would be on it,” Derai said, adding that only consistent healthy habits like exercising, drinking water and maintaining a skincare regiment plus a balanced diet will lead to improvement in one’s skin and overall health.
“You can’t just eat a tin of sardines, go out binge drinking, eat a bunch of junk food and be like ‘why isn’t my skin clearing up?’” she added. “It’s not going to be a magic capsule.”