mercury in tuna?

[azalea]

Tuna is awash in controversy, too. Tuna seems to be the perfect health food. It’s low-cal, low in saturated fat, and high in omega-3 fatty acids. What’s more, you can get canned tuna anywhere, and it’s cheap.

The problem is mercury, a toxic chemical that seeps into the sea as a byproduct of industry. Eating mercury-laden fish during pregnancy can harm a baby’s developing brain, causing learning disabilities. The FDA warns women not to eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury. But consumer watchdogs say the agency should also warn women about tuna. Mercury levels in tuna have been below the FDA’s safety limit, but critics say the agency’s standards are too lax, and that women eat more tuna than the government claims they do.

"Fish is an excellent source of nutrition, especially for pregnant women," says Daniel Lasser, MD, an obstetrician at the Weill Cornell School of Medicine in New York City. Nevertheless, "We’re not 100-percent sure about how much is safe," he says.

source: http://www.health.com/health/mindbody/article/0,15669,453893,00.html

i was just wondering how much truth there is to finding high levels of mercury in canned tuna. i go through a number of cans a week- should i be worried?

 

[bignate73]

ive heard the same, i believe depth of where the fish primarily live and age at which they are caught are the factors that make a difference. someone mentioned ahi as a good choice.

 

[msboss]

I love tuna and ate it quite a bit before my pregnancy. My doctor gave me a handout in regatrds to certain fishes and tuna was definately there. I can have it once a week. I wonder what effect mercury has on the body in general? Not a fetus but an adult person.

msboss

 

[zkm]

Mecrury is a very toxic chemical as far as human body is concerned. In very small dosages it is not harmful, the problem is that mercury never leaves the body from what I understand. And as you keep ingesting more mercury, it gets deposited in you, so eventually it will have a detremental effect. This is what I have read.

 

[wilson6]

Eat farm raised salmon if you want a good fish source of EPA and DHA with the heavy metals, otherwise supplement with fish oil.

W6

 

[gotmilk]

I wonder what effect mercury has on the body in general?
msboss

Mercury can attack the nerve endings and in some cases lead to MS or MS like symptoms.

I live near a place where farm raised Salmon is produced and there are some nasty stories about how they are raised too. Plus, the pink color in farm raised salmon is from red dyes....

Good thing we have lobster here for 3.99 a pound