Clam

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in rats⁶

  In animal studies, fat from freshwater clams lowered cholesterol in rats fed a high-cholesterol diet.

Found in some samples or products

These come from where it was grown, how it was processed or cooked, or what it was made into. They are not about the ingredient itself, so the signal does not count them.

• Infection risk from raw shellfish²

  A man with liver disease got fever and diarrhoea after eating raw geoduck clam, and blood tests grew a rare germ.

• Shellfish poisoning from red tide³

  People who ate clams collected during a red tide got sick with stomach and nerve symptoms, but recovered within a day.

• Stomach and gut illness⁵

  In 1982, eating raw clams and oysters made over a thousand people in New York sick with vomiting and diarrhea.

• Metals in seafood⁷

  Clams like Paphia malabarica can hold metals such as lead and cadmium in their soft tissue.

• Food poisoning risk from raw shellfish⁸

  Manila clams sold in Korea carried Vibrio bacteria that were resistant to many antibiotics.

• Shellfish contamination risk⁹

  Clams can build up arsenic from the water, and people who eat them may take in more.

• Parasite in shellfish¹⁰

  In lab tests, some clams from two Italian farms carried Cryptosporidium germs.

• Tiny plastic in seafood¹¹

  Over half the wild clams tested held tiny bits of plastic, which people eating them would swallow.

• PAH levels in shellfish¹²

  Clams from three Chinese bays carried PAHs, but the cancer risk from eating them was mostly low.

• Arsenic in shellfish¹³

  Clams from the Venice Lagoon built up arsenic at levels that raise concern for people eating them.

Single cases of misuse or overdose

One person or one incident, such as an accidental overdose or a mistake in a kitchen or factory. They are real, but a single case does not show what happens at normal amounts, so the signal does not count them.

• Shellfish allergy in children⁴

  A boy vomited and had stomach pain after eating short-neck clam, a shellfish.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.