Fish/Mercury

[Guest guest]

For now, a review of FDA's mercury measurements in 39 seafood varieties

shows:

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20031223/D7VK5EJO3.html

_Salmon, oysters, whitefish, sea bass, freshwater trout and sardines contain

both high levels of heart-healthy omega-3s and low mercury levels, below 0

13 parts per million.

_Other low-mercury choices include perch, king crab, flounder, sole, pollock

catfish, croaker, scallops, crawfish, shrimp, clams and tilapia. They

contain less omega-3s, but servings can add up.

_Tuna is controversial, because different varieties contain different

amounts of both mercury and heart-healthy fats. Canned light tuna contains a

small amount of omega-3, about as much as shrimp, and fairly low 0.13 ppm

mercury. But fresh tuna steaks and the more expensive canned white or

albacore tuna contain three times as much mercury, and almost as much

omega-3 as salmon.

That puts albacore in the medium-mercury range. So many consumer groups

recommend that pregnant women and children stick to modest amounts of the

lower-mercury light tuna - about 9 ounces a week for women and 3 ounces for

youngsters.

_Also in the medium-mercury range are saltwater trout, bluefish, lobster,

halibut, haddock, snapper and crabs. Grouper and orange roughy are at the

high end of this group. FDA's advisers said women of childbearing age

probably should limit these fish to a serving a week.

_The FDA advises women of childbearing age to avoid shark, swordfish, king

mackerel and tilefish, which contain the most mercury of species tested to

date.

_Go easy on fried and breaded fish like fish sticks; heart-harming grease

outweighs the omega-3s.

_Check local mercury advisories if you're eating fish from local lakes and

ponds, which can be much more polluted than the sources of commercial fish.

For most men and postmenopausal women, mercury concern plummets and the main

message is to eat a variety of fish and more of it, the heart association

says.

" If they're eating the same fish day after day, that's probably not wise, "

said , a researcher at the Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City,

Mo. " It's probably good to mix it up. "

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20031223/D7VK5EJO3.html---

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