The high Omega-3 content is advertised right on the box. Sardines are considered by many as a "super food". Sustainable, low on the food chain, great nutrient profile...
Re: in olive oil, I don't know about you but I'm not interested in drinking olive oil.
Packed in water is pleasant to drink, it's like drinking fish broth. Not to mention it's far less calories, oil is calorie dense. Nor do they generally use high-quality single source oils in canned fish, that oil is low-quality junk.
Most people I know who eat fish packed in oil are actually more interested in eating bread with a side of fish+dipping oil. That's nowhere near resembling my preferred diet, YMMV.
Olive oil (well, oleic acid) is a sirtuan booster, so, why not?! I personally prefer King Oscar. Sardines truly are a super food - quality protein, stable omega-3s, and tons of other nutrients! A great low-calory nutritionally-dense food for less than a Startbucks coffee!
Be my guest. I have little interest in drinking even the highest quality oil - and absolutely zero interest in drinking whatever best volume deal of the month they're canning fish in.
I apologize, I never meant to suggest drinking the sauce - being water or oil - as the omega-3s in the sauce is minuscule compared to that in the flesh.
It's not miniscule, and actually worse when packed in oil because the oil-soluble fatty acids diffuse into the oil.
But even when packed in water, or just canned+cooked in own juices on the higher end, a substantial portion of the fats and oils escape the flesh and float to the surface during cooking. Draining the can discards fatty acids, it can be a surprisingly substantial portion.
