Should we limit the amount of fish we eat,for fear of mercury poisoning?

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   itakinsposted 13 years ago

   Should we limit the amount of fish we eat,for fear of mercury poisoning?
   
   How much is too much?

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   Magicdust Staffposted 13 years ago

   I'd suggest avoiding the top of the chain fish e.g. tuna as they eat all the little fishies and according to many reports, mercury accumulates up the food chain!

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   Sandy Frostposted 13 years ago

   Yes because high consumption can cause an accumulation of a mercuric compound called "methylmercury" in human body. Fishes like tuna, swordfish, sharks, dolphins etc. contain a high level of mercury while trouts, herrings, crabs, lobsters and some freshwater fishes come up with less mercuric amount. Limiting the consumption to only 1 or 2 meals per week is safe for everyone.

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   Edwin Brownposted 13 years ago

   Sad to say, but yes.  Even fresh water fishes are not entirely safe in some places. I live on the west coast of the US, and because of the trade winds bringing mercury from the coal burning plants in China, we are advised to limit our consumption of local freshwater fish to a few ounces a week.
   
   Darn shame!

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   shara63posted 13 years ago

   Excess of everything is harmfull..so is with eating fish or any other edibles.  Second importannt thing is what, when, how, and how much to eat..as these are very important factors in our food habit which influence our health!
   
   According to Charles Santerre, a foods and nutrition associate professor,  Fish - which are full of protein and omega-3 fatty acids - promotes good health," but at the same time, we know that some fish, including commercial fish, can be harmful. The consumer - especially a woman in her childbearing years -needs to be discerning. "A woman should carefully choose the fish she eats today to protect her baby tomorrow."
   
   Fish, such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish, can contain high levels of methylmercury that, if eaten regularly, can harm the developing nervous system of a fetus or infant. Santerre said these fish should be avoided by pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children.
   
   Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), sometimes found in fish, also pose a threat.
   
   "It takes six years to rid the body of PCBs and one year for mercury,"
   
   Other fish, such as salmon, which is high in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, such as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), should be a regular component of a woman's diet.
   
   "Salmon is an ideal source for long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, which are necessary for brain development in babies and cardiovascular health in adults. At the same time, some other kinds of fish that contain a large amount of healthy fats also can have high levels of brain toxins," he said.
   
   The safest seafoods are farmed and wild salmon, along with oysters, shrimp, farm-raised channel catfish, farm-raised rainbow trout, flounder, perch, tialpia, clams, scallops and red swamp crayfish, for having the lowest level of mercury and can be eaten more than once a week. Canned tuna, crab, cod, mahi-mahi, haddock, whitefish, herring and spiny lobster have slightly higher levels of mercury and should be eaten no more than one meal per week.
   
   Some seafood should be limited to just one meal a month: tuna steaks, red snapper, orange roughy, pollack, halibut, northern lobster, marlin, moonfish, saltwater bass, wild trout, bluefish, grouper, croaker and sablefish. So, if a pregnant woman has a meal of red snapper, she should not eat grouper for at least another month.
   
   In all, being the most blessed creatures of God, in order to keep our body & Mind healthy we must manage our diet wisely.

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      shara63posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      thankyou itakins for selecting my answer as the best!

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