It is accepted that seafood is very healthy and can eat them in any quantity. But not so simple. Bad news for seafood lovers: fish isn’t as useful as one might think. If you regularly eat fish, chances are you get too much mercury and too little omega-3. This is the conclusion of a report published by the Environmental experts of the working group of the United States. Magicforum found what may be a dangerous fish in your diet.
Dangerous seafood for health?
While U.S. dietary recommendations urge people to eat up to 12 ounces of seafood (about three servings) a week, EWG found that it can be dangerous for some people.
EWG’s analysis of mercury and omega-3 in seafood shows that 10 of the most popular seafood in the U.S. market contain unacceptable amounts of mercury for pregnant women of average weight, which consumes the quantity recommended by the doctors every week. Since safe mercury levels are based on body weight, lighter women are at greater risk from mercury in seafood.
And for people eating fish, because they hope to get their omega-3 fats, which have been shown to reduce heart risks, and contribute to brain development in infants, there are even more grim news. EWG came to the conclusion that many people don’t get healthy fats as much as they hope, because 8 of the 10 most popular types of seafood, including shrimp and catfish , occupy the lowest place in the ranking of the products full of healthy omega-3 fats.
EWG investigated mercury contamination and beneficial levels of omega-3 in seafood with the aim of identifying species that provide the greatest health benefit and lowest mercury levels.
Which fish to eat, and what not?
If you are going to eat fish, EWG recommends the following:
- Anchovies
herring
Shellfish
Salmon
Sardines
Trout
All of them can provide the sufficient amount of omega-3, with a lower risk of mercury when used once or twice a week.
Avoid these fish that have the highest levels of mercury and the lowest levels of omega-3.
- Canned tuna Albacore
Halibut
Cumbria
Sea bass
Shark
Spanish and Atlantic mackerel
swordfish
The health risks associated with consumption of seafood
The main risk of the use of the fish chemicals.
Consumers who are looking for the health benefits associated with consumption of seafood are concerned about potential health risks associated with the presence of chemical contaminants, both natural and those that occur as a result of human activity. The most common substance — methylmercury. This pollutant causes the greatest concern among consumers.
Methylmercuryis a heavy metal that is present in the environment as a result of human activities (called anthropogenic sources) and natural processes.
Mercury exists in the environment in several different forms, including metallic, inorganic and organic. Methyl mercury occurs when mercury from other forms is deposited in bodies of water and biotransformiroetsa in the process of methylation by microorganisms. Levels of methyl-mercury can be high in marine mammals such as whales, and animals that feed on marine life such as polar bears and sea birds.
When mercury gets into the water, she quickly sneaks through the marine food chain. In the small organisms normally contain small quantities of a substance, but as a big fish eats a smaller amount of the element accumulated. Therefore, the fish at the top of the food chain, such as pike, bass, very large tuna, tile, Queen mackerel, shark and swordfish, tend to have higher levels of methylmercury, about 1-10 million times greater than the number in the surrounding waters, according to the Agency for environmental protection (EPA).
How dangerous is mercury in fish?
High concentration of the chemical may cause problems during delivery into the bloodstream (perhaps that is a risk factor for heart disease ) and the nervous system.
Researchers are still trying to figure out the extent of the negative health effects of low level exposures to methylmercury.
Special precautions when consuming fish
Experts say that there are certain populations that should be a little more careful about how much fish they eat. Pregnant and lactating women and women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, belong to this category due to the fact that they can move ingested toxins. Infants and young children are more susceptible to the effects of chemicals.
People with a weakened immune system are also advised to pay attention to the consumption of seafood due to their reduced ability to combat the dangers posed by hazardous chemicals. These people should not give up fish, but to carefully choose the variety and not to eat so many servings as the others.
For these groups, doctors recommend no more than two 3-ounce servings of seafood per week. This amount will be relatively safe for health and will allow you to obtain the nutrients that are contained in fish and seafood with minimal risk to toxins and hazardous substances that may be contained in marine inhabitants.
On the other hand, the FDA warns pregnant women and women of childbearing age about what to eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel and other dangerous from the point of view of mercury species still not worth it. And if you’re really keen, it is recommended to add them in your diet no more than once per month. As for other seafood, the Agency considers safe up to 12 ounces of cooked fish a week. This number is safe enough, if we exclude the larger species.
Previously, doctors stated that the seafood may protect people from colon cancer.