Tuna

[anonymous]

I found packages of Tuna to Go at Sam's about a year ago which were very reasonably priced and each contained 3 ounces of tuna, mayo, relish and crackers. They're only 240 calories, but they're easy to do and I like them. So I've been eating about 10 a week for the last year or so. Happened to mention this to my mother this weekend and she got upset because of the mercury content of tuna.

I've done some searches and have really only come up with tuna being a problem in pregnancy or if fed to very young children. Is this true? Or can it do damage in an adult? The thing that made me nervous is that I read you need to stop eating it 2 years before you attempt to get pregnant. If they want that long, can't it really be building up in my tissues?

These lunches are a wonderful snack. And they have 19 grams of protein. . . And they are easy. But if they are risking my health, I guess it's back to the drawing board. I just don't want to have to survive on boost. . .

 

[Momtana]

Here is the seafood guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium: <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp
">http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp
</a>

 

[anonymous]

Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but go play with:

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://gotmercury.org/
">http://gotmercury.org/
</a>

 

[CFHockeyMom]

The last warning/advisory I saw was the no one should be eating any kind of fish more than twice a week. Tuna, of course, is known to have high levels of Hg but other fish do as well it's just not as highly publicized. That's probably because most of us buy tuna but when it comes to other types of fish it's a little more hit or miss.

In Michigan, where fish is pretty popular the word is that kids and pregnant women are supposed to avoid fish all together.

In O, Oprah's magazine, she had an interesting article about Dana Delaney and her battle with Hg poisoning. I'm sure if you GoodSearch it, you'll find the story.

 

[anonymous]

Tuna and other larger fish such as swordfish are more likely to have high levels of Hg because of all the smaller fish they consume. The microscopic life forms are what are affected by Hg, but small fish eat the tiniest ones, and larger fish eat the smaller ones-- the fish at the top of the food chain are the most affected and have the highest levels of Hg as it is a cumulative thing. You don't need to be as concerned about haddock etc.

 

[catboogie]

i would be careful if i were you. as with everything one needs to balance risk/reward. keep in mind that some tuna is worse than others. tuna steak, for example, yummy as it is, has some of the highest levels of mercury. there are even differences in the canned type though. chunk light is best by a decent margin. i have a list on my refrigerator with some numbers about this i will try to remember to post.

laura

 

[Diane]

I eat tuna as well, probably more than i should at times. I tend to go on binges with foods where one week all i want for lunch or snacks is tuna. Sometimes its canned chicken. Sometimes turkey, whatever. I eat it , till i get sick of it, and then go on to the next, then eventually come back to it. ( i have such odd eating habits)

 

[Lilith]

I've heard that you should limit yourself to 12 ounces of tuna a
week and you'll be fine.

 

[ladybug]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>anonymous</b></i>

Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but go play with:



<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://gotmercury.org/
">http://gotmercury.org/
</a></end quote></div>


Gosh! According to this (with my weight), I can only eat like 2 oz. of tuna a week!!! Sheesh!

 

[anonymous]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>anonymous</b></i>

Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but go play with:



<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://gotmercury.org/
">http://gotmercury.org/
</a></end quote></div>

Whoa...this is interesting! A 110 lb person should eat no more than 3.5 oz of albacore canned tuna per week!

 

[IG]

Species with characteristically low levels of mercury include shrimp, tilapia, salmon, pollock, and catfish (FDA March 2004). The FDA characterizes shrimp, catfish, pollock, salmon, and canned light tuna as low-mercury seafood, although recent tests have indicated that up to 6 percent of canned light tuna may contain high levels. [ <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0601270193jan27,1,7450296.story">http://www.chicagotribune.com/...3jan27,1,7450296.story</a> ]

The effects of consuming fish high in mercury is in dispute with the University of Rochester's study of people in the Republic of the Seychelles. While there is no doubt high level exposure to methyl mercury is definitely toxic, low level exposure isn't.[ <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.rochester.edu/pr/releases/med/mercury.htm">http://www.rochester.edu/pr/releases/med/mercury.htm</a> ] A recent Harvard Medical School study of mothers and their infants suggests that the nutritional benefits of fish outweigh the effects of mercury.[ <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/8041/8041.pdf">http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/8041/8041.pdf</a> ] In the HMS study, each additional weekly serving of fish consumed by the mother during pregnancy was associated with an increase in infant cognition.

 

[kybert]

ive been doing some searches on this and all i can find is a 12oz a week limit as lilith said. folks, dont stress too much about it. id be more worried about what cf drugs do to your body!

 

[icefisherman]

The amount of mercury in a fish has to to with how old the fish is. like was stated earlier larger fish eat more fish which makes thier levels higher, but also the amount gets built up over time. There was an interesting article in Outdoor life magazine that talked about this. A guy caught a new word record tuna, and it also set a record for the highest recorded mercury level in a fish. As far as fish from local lakes(if you choose to take my route on eating a fish dinner lol) are advised to be one meal a month, but this is only because they have not been tested by the FDA. Lake Michigan was mentioned, The great lakes out my way (Onterio and Erie) have lots of pollution, and it's not recomended that you eat them. Although the introduction of the Zebra Muscle has cleaned up the lakes tremendously. lol, i'm sorry i'm tired and getting off topic here. Anywho the levels of mercury differ from one tuna to another, so it's impossable to say a set amount is safe or unsafe. lol i'm not making any sense now, i need some sleep lol
Ben

 

[Momtana]

There is an organization in Montana, Women's Voices for the Earth, that raises awareness about environmental factors on women's health and lives ..... one of their current campaigns is education about mercury and the effects on women's bodies and babies. Their web site is www.womenandenvironment.org
here is a video clip abouto mercury in fish: <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.womenandenvironment.org/newsreports/newseventsposting/video">http://www.womenandenvironment...ewseventsposting/video</a>