Is Fish Safe to Eat?

For many years, dietitians and doctors have talked of the health benefits of eating fish. How safe is it really?

The question on everyone's mind is: Is fish safe to eat or could it be poisoning me? The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has stated that findings suggest that mercury levels in young children and women of child bearing age are generally below those considered hazardous. While fish is a beneficial food, exposure to methylmercury is through the consumption of fish. Therefore, pregnant women or women of childbearing age who may become pregnant should not eat certain types of fish.

Most mercury is bound up underground or inside plants. But when it is released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels, it falls back to Earth and ends up in waterways and oceans. Bacteria make a meal of the metal, then these organisms are eaten by creatures like snails, which are eaten by small fish, which are eaten by larger fish-each absorbing the mercury from the previous animal it follows in the chain.

The fish you want to avoid:

• Amberjack: high in mercury / low in Omega-3's
• Chilean Sea Bass: high in mercury / medium in Omega-3's
• Grouper: high in mercury / low in Omega-3's
• Halibut: high in mercury / low in Omega-3's
• Shark: high in mercury / medium in Omega-3's
• Swordfish: high in mercury / medium in Omega-3's
• Tuna (fresh): high in mercury / high in Omega-3's

Fish for Occasional Meals:

• Flounder: medium in mercury / medium in Omega-3's
• MahiMahi: medium in mercury / low in Omega-3's
• Red Snapper: medium in mercury / low in Omega-3's
• Trout: medium in mercury / high in Omega-3's
• Tuna (Canned): the at risk population should limit to 12 oz per week
  (2 cans)…provided that they eat no other fish high in mercury

All the fish you want to eat:

• Catfish: low in mercury / low in Omega-3's
• Clams: low in mercury / low in Omega-3's
• Orange Roughy: low in mercury / low in Omega-3's
• Oysters: low in mercury / medium-high in Omega-3's
• Salmon: low in mercury / high in Omega-3's
• Sardines: low in mercury / high in Omega-3's
• Shrimp: low in mercury/ low in Omega-3's
• Tilapia: low in mercury/ low in Omega-3's

Some of the symptoms of mercury poisoning include: memory loss, depression, nerve damage and tremors. Should you get a mercury test? If you eat large ocean fish on a regular basis and may be experiencing any or all of these symptoms you should inform your physician to determine if you need a test done. A hair test is best when long-term exposure is the concern. The EPA sets the safe level for mercury, for hair, 1 part per million. Don't panic if your test is high. Mercury is excreted in the hair, skin, nails and feces, your levels will begin to decline when one is not exposed to the metal.

Remember…

• Think small. Big, boneless fillets may be easy to cook, but they come from large fish that have absorbed the smaller fish. Smaller fish, like flounder and sole, are better choices for frequent consumption than tuna, swordfish and shark.
• Develop a taste for shellfish! It is generally low in mercury, but if you have high cholesterol, beware it is high in cholesterol!
• Farm-raised. Farm raised fish are low in mercury than the wild type of fish. However, they are also low in Omega-3's.

So what are you supposed to eat? Mercury aside…fish is good for you! Eat a variety of fish! It is low in calories, saturated fat and high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon, sole, flounder and sardines are all relatively low in the metal.

Addendum:

A new study of mercury exposure from fish-eating in the Seychelles, an island nation in the Indian ocean, where mothers average 12 fish meals per week finds almost no effect of maternal diet during pregnancy on mental abilities or behavior of children at 9 years of age. Mothers' exposure to mercury was measured while they were pregnant and over 600 children were tested. Nineteen of 21 tests showed no differences and the two that did were presumed to happen by chance. The study was published in the May 17, 2003 issue of the Lancet.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

In the Seychelles, the types of fish and mercury content are similar to those eaten in the U.S., but consumption is much higher. This study raises the real possibility that small amounts of mercury are not a problem. There are only two other studies on this question and both found detrimental effects, but in those studies whale blubber and shark provided large bolus amounts of mercury which may be harmful compared with lesser amounts in fish more commonly eaten.