Can’t think straight anymore? Got headaches, memory loss or mood swings? Are you suddenly losing coordination when it comes to writing? If you are suffering any of these symptoms, then you might be a victim of mercury poisoning.
People who consume mercury-contaminated fish are typically prone to mercury poisoning. Health problems caused by mercury depend on how much has entered your body, how it entered your body, how long you have been exposed to it, and how your body responds to the mercury.
The good news is that for most adults with recent exposure, symptoms usually go away once they stop eating contaminated fish on a regular basis. However, things are quite different when it comes to pregnant women and young children. For an unborn fetus, exposure to mercury can result in lowered IQ levels on a permanent basis.
It is unusual to find people with a zero-level of mercury these days. A rise in toxic lifestyles due to industrialization has led to an increase in levels of mercury in the environment. People now pick it up from a wide variety of sources beyond fish, including air and food. If you are concerned, it is a good idea to speak with a doctor and limit your intake of high mercury fish such as tuna, swordfish and mackerel.
More from GLI:
Hello-
People are confused about seafood advice, so it is important to lay out the recommendations clearly.
1. For the general population, there are no species of fish to limit or avoid. All major health organizations, including the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association, recommend that Americans eat more fish – at least two servings per week.
http://tinyurl.com/fish-recs
2. For the special population of women who are or may become pregnant, nursing moms, and young children, there are four fish to avoid: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish.
It is especially important that this group get plenty of the other types of fish. Nutrients in seafood like omega-3s are needed for the best possible brain and eye development in babies. Moms should aim for 2-3 servings of a variety of seafood per week, of which six ounces can be albacore tuna.
http://tinyurl.com/pregadvice
3. Americans eat very little seafood. While documented cases of mercury toxicity are nonexistent, omega-3 and vitamin D deficiencies are widespread. A new study estimates that low omega-3 (seafood) intake is responsible for about 84,000 deaths per year in the U.S.
http://tinyurl.com/omega-3deaths
For a peek in to what plenty of seafood looks like in the real-life diet of a registered dietitian (me!), please visit http://www.blogaboutseafood.com.
Sincerely,
Jennifer McGuire, MS, RD
National Fisheries Institute