Fish and Mercury

[shaneo]

Hi I'm a recently diagnosed type 2 diabetic.
I've never really been a big fish eater but found john west canned tuna a great way to fill a gap, fat and carb free for the most part.
I had previously avoided ever trying the stuff based on my own and unfounded preconception of mercury poisoning.
I since disregarded that and put it down to being a bit of a hypochondriac, only to find out that there is a general mercury concern in most fish products in general! This is after weeks of eating a 50g can a day for **** sake!
I guess it wouldn't be a concern at all if I weren't diabetic. But canned tuna contains a moderate level of mg content, and as a neurotoxin that induces peripheral neuropathy, I was wondering if there has been any studies into this being a risk factor for provoking PN in diabetics? Couldn't find any on pubmed but maybe someone here has heard about it?
Cheers

 

[douglas99]

You have to take a view over what will kill you, and go for your own best option.
Farmed fish is full of toxins, but then, so are farmed vegetables.
Meat is full of steroids, antibiotics, and other cr*p.
Sea caught tuna must be better than farmed foods, but then you're also killing dolphins, sharks, and other sea life.
A rising population means we need more, and cheaper, food, with all it's risks, so it's all relative.

Personally, I'll eat anything, even roadkill, so long as I keep my BG good, and my HbA1c good, so I may not be the most worrying person on here over food.

 

[urbanracer]

Hi I'm a recently diagnosed type 2 diabetic.
I've never really been a big fish eater but found john west canned tuna a great way to fill a gap, fat and carb free for the most part.
I had previously avoided ever trying the stuff based on my own and unfounded preconception of mercury poisoning.
I since disregarded that and put it down to being a bit of a hypochondriac, only to find out that there is a general mercury concern in most fish products in general! This is after weeks of eating a 50g can a day for **** sake!
I guess it wouldn't be a concern at all if I weren't diabetic. But canned tuna contains a moderate level of mg content, and as a neurotoxin that induces peripheral neuropathy, I was wondering if there has been any studies into this being a risk factor for provoking PN in diabetics? Couldn't find any on pubmed but maybe someone here has heard about it?
Cheers

At the age of 54 I take the view that I already have more mercury in my teeth than I'm ever likely to consume from eating fish! I don't think there is anything that is toxin free, we've poisoned the planet.

 

[graj0]

At the age of 54 I take the view that I already have more mercury in my teeth than I'm ever likely to consume from eating fish! I don't think there is anything that is toxin free, we've poisoned the planet.

Long may your fillings stay where they are. I'm now 62 and those old fillings that I had in the 50s and 60s are the bane of my life. I think they're all gone now and replaced with whatever the current thinking dictates. Perhaps I should have asked Mum and Dad for Gold fillings? LOL

 

[Ruth B]

I think you are more in danger of mercury poisoning from broken florescent tubes and low energy bulbs, they all contain a small amount of mercury vapor. As for fillings I still have some amalgum ones and there is nothing wrong with the material it does a good job, better than some other alternatives even, in the right place, and as the mercury is bound up with other metals it shouldn't give problems.

As far as fish goes, I wouldn't worry too much, its far healthier than some other options, and if you believed every food scare then you wouldn't have any thing left to eat. I try and buy sustainable fish even if it means trying some more unusual options, or not being embarrased that a fish is called Pollock.