Mercury in seafood—what can you do?

You’ve heard for years that seafood is good for you, but lately there have been stories warning of a build-up in mercury in the oceans of the world.   It’s true—concentrations of mercury within seafood are growing.

The culprit is actually methylmercury. Pollution and waste spew thousand of tons of mercury into the air each year. Once it’s in the air, the mercury can transform into methylmercury and accumulate in steams, oceans, water and soil.

Contamination of methylmercury is not limited to saltwater seafood as some think…it’s in all seafood, even rainbow trout caught in the most pristine-looking mountain stream.

In fact, the FDA recommends that pregnant women, nursing mothers and children limit consumption of fish to 12 ounces per week, and the EPA has even harsher words. In January of 2003, the FDA finally lowered the “safe” level of methylmercury—the FDA level had been four times higher than the EPA-recommended level. Now the FDA’s is the same as the EPA’s.

Specifically, the FDA recommends avoiding the following fish in which methylmercury concentrates most highly:

• Shark
• Swordfish
• King mackerel
• Tilefish (or golden bass and golden snapper)

Methylmercury accumulates in the food chain, and thus fish absorb the mercury in other fish and organisms it eats. This is why larger and older fish such as shark and swordfish contain the highest levels of methylmercury—the higher you go on the food chain, the worse it is.

The safe (and healthy) way to get your Omega 3 Fish Oil:

Omega Oil: - Great on salads - Perfect for shakes - Boost your energy - Build immune system

Omega Mix: - Great on oatmeal - Perfect for shakes - Boost your energy - Improve health

Omega Fish Oil: - Pharmaceutical grade - Healthy Brain Food - Increased Fat Burn - Balance Your Mood

What’s the worst that can happen if you eat too much seafood and thus ingest too much methylmercury? 

Well, for starters, pregnant or breastfeeding women should realize that methylmercury can harm a developing baby’s brain and nervous system.

The dangers don’t stop as your baby grows older. Children under the age of 6 years are at risk from methylmercury, as are people with impaired kidney function and people with sensitive immune responses to metals.

The worst that can happen in adults is paraesthesia, a tingling sensation on the skin, depression, and blurred vision. In fetuses and developing infants methylmercury can also have negative effects on:

• Attention span
• Language
• Visual-spatial skills
• Memory
• Coordination.

Approximately 60,000 children each year are born at risk for neurological problems due to methylmercury exposure in the womb.

Canned tuna is a particular concern, since it is so popular in America for sandwiches and salads. The current recommendation is that no one should consume more than one six-ounce can of tuna per week.

But the problem is that you need the EPA/DHA Omega 3 oils found in seafood to balance out all the Omega 6 oils you eat. So how do you get that Omega 3?

Gerry Morton, CEO of EnergyFirst, recommends supplementing your diet with EnergyFirst Omega 3 Fish Oil. This fish oil is pharmaceutical grade, completely safe, and free from methylmercury because it is molecularly distilled.

Additionally, Omega 3 Fish Oil helps to produce the following benefits:

• Optimal cardiovascular health
• Enhanced brain function
• Visual acuity
• Growth and development.

More tips on avoiding mercury and getting sufficient Omega 3 oils into your diet can be found by visiting Why are Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils important?.