fish Omega Oil and mercury
Resa3558
It is a herring like fish found in abundant quantities in the Atlantic Ocean
and on the Gulf Coast.
Does anyone know if herring contains mercury levels that might be
toxic? Fish oils once were synonymous with Cod liver oil and that word
liver would indicate concentrated metals.
I am now focusing on eating salmon more often instead of using fish
oil supplements. What does anyone think about this?
Thanks
Resa
Lianne
which is 'screened, tested and guaranteed to be free from any pollution by
pesticides or heavy metals' from a company called Higher Nature. I don't
think they have a website even though they're quite a big company, but the
order line number is 01435 882880 & they're based in Sussex.
Lianne
"Resa3558" <resa...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010117093500...@ng-ch1.aol.com...
Quentin Grady
On 17 Jan 2001 14:35:00 GMT, resa...@aol.com (Resa3558) wrote:
>Omega Oils are generally fish oils extracted from the menhaden fish.
>It is a herring like fish found in abundant quantities in the Atlantic Ocean
>and on the Gulf Coast.
Most Omega-3 fish oil in New Zealand which names the fish from which
it was derived is extracted from salmon though we see some Australian
salmon and tuna blends.
If the omega-3 oil you have available is from a herring like fish it
is worth noting that small fish get eaten by big fish which process
concentrates any mercury. When eating fish ... eat small fish is a
useful rule. With fish oils it seems less relevant since they use
steam distillation. IMHO it is a red herring. <grin>
>Does anyone know if herring contains mercury levels that might be
>toxic? Fish oils once were synonymous with Cod liver oil and that word
>liver would indicate concentrated metals.
>
>I am now focusing on eating salmon more often instead of using fish
>oil supplements. What does anyone think about this?
There are benefits to fish beyond the oil. People get all touchy
feeling about trimethylglycine, TMG. Seem to recall that is plentiful
in sardines and not in fish oil.
>Thanks
>Resa
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."
Paul Rogers
in large fish. The fish to be avoided, according to FDA, are shark,
swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. Here is an URL:
http://onhealth.webmd.com/fitness/news/webmd/item,110937.asp
Small is certainly better. Sardines are my favourite. As far as the oil
supplements are concernced, I would go for a guaranteed low level of
contaminant. Mercury is not the only worry. PCBs, DDT/DDE may also be a
problem.
It is certainly a shame our wild food is contaminated like this.
Paul R
"Resa3558" <resa...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010117093500...@ng-ch1.aol.com...
Matti Narkia
<7ro96.67482$xW4.5...@news-server.bigpond.net.au> "Paul Rogers"
<con...@imagic.com.au> wrote:
>It may be worth noting a recent FDA warning to pregnant women about mercury
>in large fish. The fish to be avoided, according to FDA, are shark,
>swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. Here is an URL:
>http://onhealth.webmd.com/fitness/news/webmd/item,110937.asp
>
>Small is certainly better. Sardines are my favourite. As far as the oil
>supplements are concernced, I would go for a guaranteed low level of
>contaminant. Mercury is not the only worry. PCBs, DDT/DDE may also be a
>problem.
>
>It is certainly a shame our wild food is contaminated like this.
>
I agree 100%. Still fish has some substances, such as selenium and other trace
elements, which to some extent may help to protect against some enviromental
toxins, especially against mercury and some other heavy metals.
The effect of prenatal exposure to methylmercury from maternal high fish diet
on the cognitive development of the child has been researched in the long term
Seychelles Child Development Study. Seychelles was chosen because fish
consumption there is among the highest in the world (8 - 100 kg / person /
year), and the mercury contents of the consumed fish is relatively high,
because considerable quantity of it is large predatory fish. Matthews [15]
reports about Seychelles fish consumption and fish mercury contenty as follows:
"Mercury and methyl mercury concentrations were determined in the muscle of
12 of the most important commercial fish species found in Seychelles waters.
The concentration of mercury in a few of the larger specimens of Kingfish
(Acanthocybium solandri), Becune (Sphyraena forsteri), Carangue balo (Caranx
gymnostethus), and Bonito (Euthynnus affinis) exceeded the provisional
maximum permissible level of 1.0 mg/kg of total mercury established by the
Food and Drug Administration (1979) in the United States. More than half of
the Dogtooth tuna (Gymnosarda unicolor) examined exceeded this level with
two fish having levels of 3.3 and 4.4 ppm. The hair mercury levels of
fishermen and mothers and their newborn babies have been examined since the
Seychelles population has one of the highest fish consumption figures in the
world (80-100 kg per person per annum), much of it being predatory species."
To my knowledge fortunately no negative effects have been observed so far,
As en example he following abstract of a study bye Davidson et al. [5] whch
was published in JAma in 1998;
"CONTEXT: Human neurodevelopmental consequences of exposure to
methyl-mercury (MeHg) from eating fish remain a question of public
health concern. OBJECTIVE: To study the association between MeHg
exposure and the developmental outcomes of children in the Republic
of Seychelles at 66 months of age. DESIGN: A prospective
longitudinal cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 711 of 779
cohort mother-child pairs initially enrolled in the Seychelles
Child Development Study in 1989. SETTING: The Republic of
Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean where 85% of the
population consumes ocean fish daily. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Prenatal and postnatal MeHg exposure and 6 age-appropriate
neurodevelopmental tests: the McCarthy Scales of Children's
Abilities, the Preschool Language Scale, the Woodcock-Johnson
Applied Problems and Letter and Word Recognition Tests of
Achievement, the Bender Gestalt test, and the Child Behavior
Checklist. RESULTS: The mean maternal hair total mercury level was
6.8 ppm and the mean child hair total mercury level at age 66
months was 6.5 ppm. No adverse outcomes at 66 months were
associated with either prenatal or postnatal MeHg exposure.
CONCLUSION: In the population studied, consumption of a diet high
in ocean fish appears to pose no threat to developmental outcomes
through 66 months of age."
References:
1: Palumbo DR, Cox C, Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Choi A, Shamlaye C, Sloane-Reeves
J, Cernichiari E, Clarkson TW.
Association between prenatal exposure to methylmercury and cognitive
functioning in Seychellois children: a reanalysis of the McCarthy Scales of
Children's
Ability from the main cohort study.
Environ Res. 2000 Oct;84(2):81-8.
[MEDLINE record in process]
PMID: 11068921; UI: 20518703
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11068921&dopt=Abstract
2: Axtell CD, Cox C, Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Choi AL, Cernichiari E,
Sloane-Reeves J, Shamlaye CF, Clarkson TW.
Association between methylmercury exposure from fish consumption and child
development at five and a half years of age in the Seychelles Child Development
Study: an evaluation of nonlinear relationships.
Environ Res. 2000 Oct;84(2):71-80.
[MEDLINE record in process]
PMID: 11068920; UI: 20518702
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11068920&dopt=Abstract
3: Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Palumbo D, Shamlaye C, Cox C, Cernichiari E, Clarkson
TW.
Secondary analysis from the seychelles child development study: the child
behavior checklist.
Environ Res. 2000 Sep;84(1):12-9.
[MEDLINE record in process]
PMID: 10991778; UI: 20448865
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10991778&dopt=Abstract
4: Davidson PW, Palumbo D, Myers GJ, Cox C, Shamlaye CF, Sloane-Reeves J,
Cernichiari E, Wilding GE, Clarkson TW.
Neurodevelopmental outcomes of seychellois children from the pilot cohort at
108 months following prenatal exposure to methylmercury from a maternal fish
diet.
Environ Res. 2000 Sep;84(1):1-11.
[MEDLINE record in process]
PMID: 10991777; UI: 20448864
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10991777&dopt=Abstract
5: Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Cox C, Axtell C, Shamlaye C, Sloane-Reeves J,
Cernichiari E, Needham L, Choi A, Wang Y, Berlin M, Clarkson TW.
Effects of prenatal and postnatal methylmercury exposure from fish consumption
on neurodevelopment: outcomes at 66 months of age in the Seychelles Child
Development Study.
JAMA. 1998 Aug 26;280(8):701-7.
PMID: 9728641; UI: 98396813
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9728641&dopt=Abstract
6: Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Cox C, Shamlaye CF, Tanner MA, Marsh DO, Cernichiari
E, Lapham LW, Berlin M, Clarkson TW.
Summary of the Seychelles child development study on the relationship of fetal
methylmercury exposure to neurodevelopment.
Neurotoxicology. 1995 Winter;16(4):711-16.
PMID: 8714875; UI: 96361495
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8714875&dopt=Abstract
7: Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Cox C, Shamlaye CF, Marsh DO, Tanner MA, Berlin M,
Sloane-Reeves J, Cernichiari E, Choisy O, et al.
Longitudinal neurodevelopmental study of Seychellois children following in
utero exposure to methylmercury from maternal fish ingestion: outcomes at 19
and 29 months.
Neurotoxicology. 1995 Winter;16(4):677-88.
PMID: 8714872; UI: 96361492
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8714872&dopt=Abstract
8: Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Cox C, Shamlaye C, Choisy O, Sloane-Reeves J,
Cernichiari E, Marsh DO, Berlin M, Tanner M, et al.
Neurodevelopmental test selection, administration, and performance in the main
Seychelles child development study.
Neurotoxicology. 1995 Winter;16(4):665-76. Review.
PMID: 8714871; UI: 96361491
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8714871&dopt=Abstract
9: Myers GJ, Marsh DO, Davidson PW, Cox C, Shamlaye CF, Tanner M, Choi A,
Cernichiari E, Choisy O, Clarkson TW.
Main neurodevelopmental study of Seychellois children following in utero
exposure to methylmercury from a maternal fish diet: outcome at six months.
Neurotoxicology. 1995 Winter;16(4):653-64.
PMID: 8714870; UI: 96361490
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8714870&dopt=Abstract
10: Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Cox C, Shamlaye CF, Tanner MA, Choisy O,
Sloane-Reeves J, Marsh D, Cernichiari E, Choi A, et al.
Neurodevelopmental outcomes of Seychellois children sixty-six months after in
utero exposure to methylmercury from a maternal fish diet: pilot study.
Neurotoxicology. 1995 Winter;16(4):639-52.
PMID: 8714869; UI: 96361489
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8714869&dopt=Abstract
11: Myers GJ, Marsh DO, Cox C, Davidson PW, Shamlaye CF, Tanner MA, Choi A,
Cernichiari E, Choisy O, Clarkson TW.
A pilot neurodevelopmental study of Seychellois children following in utero
exposure to methylmercury from a maternal fish diet.
Neurotoxicology. 1995 Winter;16(4):629-38.
PMID: 8714868; UI: 96361488
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8714868&dopt=Abstract
12: Cernichiari E, Toribara TY, Liang L, Marsh DO, Berlin MW, Myers GJ, Cox C,
Shamlaye CF, Choisy O, Davidson P, et al.
The biological monitoring of mercury in the Seychelles study.
Neurotoxicology. 1995 Winter;16(4):613-28.
PMID: 8714867; UI: 96361487
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8714867&dopt=Abstract
13: Shamlaye CF, Marsh DO, Myers GJ, Cox C, Davidson PW, Choisy O, Cernichiari
E, Choi A, Tanner MA, Clarkson TW.
The Seychelles child development study on neurodevelopmental outcomes in
children following in utero exposure to methylmercury from a maternal fish
diet: background and demographics.
Neurotoxicology. 1995 Winter;16(4):597-612.
PMID: 8714866; UI: 96361486
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8714866&dopt=Abstract
14: Marsh DO, Clarkson TW, Myers GJ, Davidson PW, Cox C, Cernichiari E, Tanner
MA, Lednar W, Shamlaye C, Choisy O, et al.
The Seychelles study of fetal methylmercury exposure and child development:
introduction.
Neurotoxicology. 1995 Winter;16(4):583-96.
PMID: 8714865; UI: 96361485
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8714865&dopt=Abstract
15: Matthews AD.
Mercury content of commercially important fish of the Seychelles, and hair
mercury levels of a selected part of the population.
Environ Res. 1983 Apr;30(2):305-12.
PMID: 6832117; UI: 83157564
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6832117&dopt=Abstract
--
Matti Narkia
Evelyn Ruut
"Paul Rogers" <con...@imagic.com.au> wrote in message
news:7ro96.67482$xW4.5...@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> It may be worth noting a recent FDA warning to pregnant women about
mercury
> in large fish. The fish to be avoided, according to FDA, are shark,
> swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. Here is an URL:
> http://onhealth.webmd.com/fitness/news/webmd/item,110937.asp
>
> Small is certainly better. Sardines are my favourite. As far as the oil
> supplements are concernced, I would go for a guaranteed low level of
> contaminant. Mercury is not the only worry. PCBs, DDT/DDE may also be a
> problem.
>
> It is certainly a shame our wild food is contaminated like this.
>
> Paul R
Yes it is.
When I studied macrobiotics a few years ago they suggested using Kuzu, which
is a wild form of arrowroot, or kudzu, a white powder, as a thickener for
gravies etc. The reason being that it is reputed to remove toxic metals by
binding with them and then being excreted.
With this mercury scare it might be worth getting the kuzu out again instead
of cornstarch or flour as thickening agents for sauces or gravies or
desserts. They sell it in natural food stores.
Regards,
Evelyn
Resa3558
>Most Omega-3 fish oil in New Zealand which
> names the fish from which it was derived is
> extracted from salmon though we see some
> Australian salmon and tuna blends.
Is salmon a fish commonly harvested in the
waters around New Zealand? The menhaden
fish is inedible and that makes
it perfect for extraction of Omega oils. I have
decided to eat salmon (though it is a large fish)
and sardines and try one of the new vegetarian
omega supplements discussed in another thread
here.
Resa
Quentin Grady
>From Quentin:
>
>>Most Omega-3 fish oil in New Zealand which
>> names the fish from which it was derived is
>> extracted from salmon though we see some
>> Australian salmon and tuna blends.
>
>Is salmon a fish commonly harvested in the
>waters around New Zealand?
It is commonly farmed here. I am not sure where the salmon oil in our
shops comes from. It might come from Australia or Canada.
>The menhaden fish is inedible and that makes
>it perfect for extraction of Omega oils.
Seems reasonable.
>I have decided to eat salmon (though it is a large fish)
>and sardines and try one of the new vegetarian
>omega supplements discussed in another thread
>here.
>
>Resa
Salmon has some advantages not the least of which is its distinctive
colour which is the antioxidant astaxanthin. We had some interesting
discussion a while back on its antioxidant value. While this seemed
low compared with Vit C and Vit E it is supposed to have the
distinction of passing the brain barrier. It must be passing some
barriers for the salmon flesh to be pink and salmon seem fit and
health on it.
I'm a strong advocate of sardines and other small fish. People in the
Mediterranean countries make a big thing of anchovies. The Japanese
import some small fish whose name I have forgotten from one of the
Scandinavian countries. Some days it pays to follow the example of
people in countries where life expectancies suggest they have got at
least a few things right.