![]() ![]() This can be a slow process, though, if you are consuming a lot of methyl mercury-containing food over a short period of time. Your body then goes about the process of trying to clear this heavy metal from your body through your liver. And, like fish, these toxins also accumulate in your fat tissues. That methyl mercury is then passed on to you when you eat the fish. Tuna, like other fish, absorb methyl mercury from the seas in their fat tissues. Methyl Mercuryįirst, let me explain to you the concern about methyl mercury. Several groups of researchers, though, have differing opinions on how much tuna is safe for you to eat and that’s what I’d like to tell you about. Some recent news stories regarding children eating tuna have suggested that tuna may be even less safe than previous guidelines advised. ![]() Bumble Bee did not immediately respond, but told Consumer Reports that " health benefits of consuming seafood far outweigh any potential risk, including concerns about mercury," CBS News reported.Like many of my patients, and readers, you probably know that there have been concerns about eating different types of tuna as they can contain methyl mercury. While higher levels of mercury appear in shark and swordfish, trout and salmon contain little.įour of the five tuna companies told CBS News their products are safe and within FDA standards. Marine animals consume it when it ends up in the ocean as methylmercury. Elemental mercury goes to the clouds when coal is burned and then comes down when it rains, Agus told CBS News. But the disparity was quite wide: The albacore products had three times more mercury, on average, than the others." "That's not surprising, since albacore is larger and lives longer than the tunas that make up the light tuna or skipjack tunas. "One big takeaway is that albacore has much more mercury than light or skipjack tuna, regardless of the brand," the organization said. The tests provide information on what consumers "may experience at a moment in time when eating these brands of tuna, and underscore the importance of making safer choices in their daily routines," Consumer Reports said. You can eat albacore, but only one 4-ounce serving per week," Consumer Reports said. "That could include up to three servings of light or skipjack tuna. "But you can't tell by just looking how much mercury a specific can has," said Consumer Reports senior scientist Michael Hansen.Ĭonsumer Reports found six individual spikes in mercury content among the 30 samples "that would change the FDA's recommendation about how often someone should eat that particular tuna," CBS News reported.Ĭonsumer Reports said kids should eat only light and skipjack tuna in limited quantities and adults who aren't pregnant should aim for 8 to 12 ounces per week of fish that is lower in mercury. Light tuna tended to have less mercury than albacore, the tests showed. The tests included about 30 samples of both albacore and light tuna from each brand, all packed in water, CBS News reported. "Young children and pregnant women especially need to keep mercury away from those neurons that are developing," Agus told CBS News.Ĭonsumer Reports tested 10 tuna products from five brands: Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea, Safe Catch, StarKist and Wild Planet. If a fetus is exposed to high levels of mercury, it may lead to thinking and memory issues later on, he said. The effects may include impaired brain function and developmental delays in children. Mercury can affect neurodevelopment, said CBS News medical contributor Dr. "From can to can, mercury levels can spike in unpredictable ways that might jeopardize the health of a fetus," said James Rogers, director of food safety research and testing at the independent nonprofit. "While canned tuna, especially light varieties, has relatively low average levels of mercury, individual cans can sometimes have much higher levels," Consumer Reports said. ![]() ![]() Food and Drug Administration standards, Consumer Reports urged pregnant women to "avoid canned tuna altogether."įDA guidelines say pregnant women can eat canned tuna in limited quantities. While the mercury levels were all within U.S. The organization tested five popular tuna brands, CBS News reported. ![]()
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