Nutritionists usually recommend we try to get most of our nutrients from a healthy diet and add supplements to fill in the gaps. As people try to follow a healthy lifestyle, many choose to eat more fish instead of meats. Unfortunately, research published in the American Journal of Cardiology warns that large amounts of fish consumption can increase exposure to environmental toxins such as polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, and other contaminants like mercury. Farm raised fish may also contain unwanted toxins. Over the years the buildup of heavy metals can damage damage the brain and nervous system, which can be even more harmful for children and pregnant women. When you eat seafood containing mercury, about 95 percent is absorbed, and moves into your bloodstream where it can penetrate cells and damage any tissue or organ.
Fish with the highest mercury levels include swordfish, shark, gulf tilefish, grouper, marlin, mackerel, orange roughy, tuna, and sea bass, so don’t eat them often.
A 6-ounce serving of salmon contains about 4 micrograms of mercury vs. 60 micrograms for the same portion of canned albacore tuna—and 170 micrograms for swordfish. Consumer Reports thinks pregnant women should not eat any tuna so definitely avoid swordfish.
You can find the mercury content of your favorite fish on here:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/gelfond/docs/Seafood%20Mercury%20Database.pdf
If you eat locally caught fish, check advisories for PCBs or other seafood contaminants. If no current local fish-advisory information exists, federal officials recommend that adults eat no more than 6 ounces per week. For children under the age of 6 years old, the recommended limit is 1 to 2 ounces per week, for 6-to-12-year-olds, the limit is 2 to 3 ounces per week. (All these groups should avoid eating any other type of fish that week.)
You can get the daily health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, without the risks of heavy metals by taking a quality fish oil supplement. MDR OlivOmega is derived from the finest oils, derived from pristine waters- molecularly distilled so environmental toxins and unwanted compounds are removed. Plus, the oil is protected from rancidity with an infusion of antioxidants so each capsule delivers pure fresh fish oil rich in EPA and DHA for good health.
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