Written by Dr. Sanjana V.B Bhms,dbrm,cdn

Founder & medical director of siahmsr wellness.in

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Reviewed by SIAHMSR medical team.

Health benefits of eating crabs

    Are you a sea food lover, particularly crabs? If so, it is very essential to know about the nutritional value of crabs and health risks associated with frequent crab consumption.

Crab refers to the meat of a shellfish that belongs to the decapod group of crustaceans. Crab is one of the most commonly eaten seafood globally as the unique flavor and delicious taste make crab meat and crab-based processed products much popular.

Crabs are one of the most important sources of food item and rank third only after shrimps and lobsters in terms of global seafood production.

Crabs are members of the crustacean order Decapoda (phylum Arthropoda).

Most crabs live in the sea; even the land crabs visit the sea occasionally and pass through their early stages in the sea.

About 7000 species of crab are reported around the world, with 20% in freshwater (streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps), and rest in marine (swamps, estuaries/mangroves, seashore, deep sea), intertidal, terrestrial and semi-terrestrial environment.

The river crab of southern Europe (the Lenten crab, Potamon fluviatile) is an example of the freshwater crabs abundant in most of the warmer regions of the world.

Many types of crabs are edible. The most important and valuable are the edible crab of the British and European coasts (Cancer pagurus) and, in North America, the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) of the Atlantic coast and the Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) of the Pacific coast. In the Indo-Pacific region the swimming crabs, Scylla and Portunus, related to the American blue crab, are among the most important sources of seafood consumed by humans.

Nutritional facts

     Both fresh and marine crabs are rich in nutrients which are vital for human health. Crab is a great source of high quality proteins. Proteins are the building blocks of your body cells and they also determine the functions of the body as key factors of enzymes, hormones ,antibodies etc. Proteins are very important for growth and repair, chemical reaction of metabolism, immunity and signal transmission between different cells, tissues and organs of the body.

    Crabs also contains long-chain omega-3 fatty acids which help prevent heart diseases and aids in cognition and brain development. This long-chain omega-3s are otherwise known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which are essential for brain development. 

     Crab is a rich source of selenium. Selenium is a major component of many enzymes and proteins, called selenoproteins, that help to make DNA and protect against cell damage and infections; these proteins are also involved in reproduction and the metabolism of thyroid hormones. Including crabs in your diet may help you get adequate amount of selenium needed for the functions of the body.

      Crab contains copper and phosphorus. Crab meat contains nearly 30 times the copper found in cod and 56 times that found in salmon, chicken and beef. Copper also aids in iron absorption. Copper works with iron to help the formation of red blood cells. It also important for keeping the blood vessels, nerves ,immune system, and bones healthy.

    Phosphorus is an important mineral of bones and teeth. Phosphorus is involved in most metabolic actions in the body, including kidney functioning, cell growth and the contraction of the heart muscle and metabolism.

Crab is also an excellent source of vitamin B12 which is very much essential for the health of nervous system and cardiovascular system. Eating crabs may help to prevent megaloblastic anaemia from vitamin B12 deficiency.

Zinc present in crab may help in boosting your immunity against infections.

 Nutritional profile [DV- of daily value]

 Crabs are rich sources of the following nutrients:

·       Vitamin B12: 479% DV

·       Folate: 13% DV

·       Vitamin B6: 11% DV

·       Vitamin C: 8% DV

·       Niacin (B3): 8% DV

·       Vitamin B5: 8% DV

·       Riboflavin (B2): 5% DV

·       Thiamin (B1): 4% DV

·       Vitamin A (RAE): 1% DV

·         Omega-3      0.46 g        

·       Proteins38.7% of DV

·       Calories 4.9% of DV

·       Fat 2% of DV

·       Copper: 131% DV

·       Selenium: 73% DV

·       Zinc: 69% DV

·       Sodium: 47% DV

·       Phosphorus: 22% DV

·       Magnesium: 15% DV

·       Potassium: 6% DV

·       Calcium: 5% DV

·       Iron: 4% DV

·       Manganese: 2% DV

   What are the health risks associated with consuming crabs?

·       Crab may be nutritious seafood; however the chances of presence of mercury in sea food cannot be neglected completely. Compared to other sea foods it is lower in mercury but it can still be a concern depending on its preparation.

·       Brown crab meat may show high levels of cadmium, and hence too much intake of brown crab may be toxic to your body.

·       Being a sea food crabs are also high in sodium content which poses cardiovascular health risk if the consumption of crabs is very high.

·       Crab consumption related allergies are relatively common.So people with seafood allergy,particularly towards crabs, should stop eating crabs . This allergy is mostly due to a protein called tropomyosin present in crustaceans such as crab, lobster, and shrimp.

·       Crab is relatively high in dietary cholesterol; per 3.5 oz (100-gram) serving, crab meat contains 53 mg of cholesterol .

References

1.    https://www.britannica.com/animal/crab
2.    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224421002521
3.    https://www.nutritionadvance.com/crab-meat-nutrition/
4.    http://research.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/informall/allergenic-food/index.aspx?FoodId=5007
5.    https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/selenium/#:~:text=Selenium%20is%20an%20essential%20component,the%20metabolism%20of%20thyroid%20hormones.
6.    https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002419.htm#:~:text=Function,-Expand%20Section&text=Copper%20works%20with%20iron%20to,also%20aids%20in%20iron%20absorption.