Is Tuna hazardous to your health?

Some advice from the EPA and FDA for [tag-cat womens health ]women[/tag-cat] who who are pregnant or might become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children fish-01A.jpgis to avoid eating tuna fish. No wait the recommendation is to eat tuna fish because fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. In fact fish and shellfish contain high quality protein and other essential nutrients, contain omega-3 fatty acids, and are low in saturated fat.
 
But what ever you do don't eat these kinds of fish! WHAT, will you make up your mind already! Ok let me get to the point. Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury and is more common then you may think. Landmark Laboratories did a study on 164 cans of tuna
from around the world and what they discovered was that tuna from some Latin American countries, specifically Ecuador and Mexico-had the highest concentration level of mercury. The main reason for this is they tend to catch some of the oldest and largest tuna which had had longer exposure to it.
 
Here are some recommendations from the [tag-tec fda ]FDA[/tag-tec] for selecting and eating fish or shellfish. By following these guidelines women and young children will receive the benefits of eating shellfish and other fish like tuna and still be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.

  1. Do not eat the following because they contain high levels of mercury. Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish.

  2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

    • Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.

    • Another commonly eaten tuna fish, albacore (white) has more mercury than canned light tuna so when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish you may eat up to 6 ounces of albacore white tuna per week.

  3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local waters. If no advice is available you can eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.

Methylmercury is removed from the body naturally, but it may take over a year for the levels to drop significantly. In fact it may be present in a woman even before she becomes pregnant. This is the reason why women who are trying to become pregnant should also avoid eating certain types of fish.

Of course this isn't an exact science as a persons body weight comes into play in regards to how much mercury an individual can consume per week so these recommendations are just a guideline. For me personally I've been eating tuna all my life and I've been given a clean bill of health. In the end I kind of take these warnings with a grain of salt because if we never ate or drank anything these agencies warned us about I'd be dead from thirst and starvation. Still I'll take this to heart when it comes to my child and at least limit their intake of fish and stick to light tuna. I'd also think women who are, or plan to become pregnant should very much limit their intake during those times just as a precaution.

Best Regards,

Stephen

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