Mercury is a chemical element that is naturally present on earth. Its presence is due to processes such as volcanic activity, or the effect of erosion that wind and water have on the rocks in which the element is present.
But also the action of man can increase the presence of mercury: industrial processes, mining, burning of fossil fuels, waste disposal, etc.
The problem with mercury is that it is a toxic element for humans, especially for younger children and women.
And it is that, as they explain from the , among these population groups this chemical element…
-
“It affects the developing central nervous system, which is why the fetus and very young children are the most sensitive to this metal.”
-
It can also affect the kidney, causing an increase in your weight.
-
To other organs such as the
-
to the nervous system
-
Immune system
-
reproductive systems
-
Development.
And how does it get to us?
Well, the highest intake of mercury among the population occurs through fish and shellfish. Because due to its physicochemical properties, mercury can be transported over long distances and deposited in aquatic ecosystems, where it is absorbed by fish and other organisms.
What fish and shellfish contain less mercury?
Of course, this cannot lead us to reduce the amount of fish that we include in our diet, because its benefits are very numerous.
In fact, they are part of the Mediterranean diet and all nutrition specialists recommend their consumption.
So how can we prevent eating fish from raising tolerable levels of mercury in the body too much?
In order to answer this question, a team from the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has analyzed the concentration of mercury in 58 species of fish and shellfish. All of them for human consumption and are usually for sale in local markets in Spain, Italy and France.
Of all of them, the specimens of 13 species had mercury concentrations below those recommended as safe by the European Union (EU). Among them are:
-
The sardine.
-
The anchovy.
-
The bream.
-
The golden one
-
The squid.
-
blue whiting
-
The caramel.
-
The gallant.
-
The rock mullet.
-
the serrano
-
the corvalle
-
The salt.
-
Dolphin.
As it clarifies Joan O. GrimaltIDAEA-CSIC researcher and lead author of the study, published in the journal:
-
“Eating these species minimizes our mercury intake, which is the price to pay when eating fish. And as if that weren’t enough, these fish have a good amount of unsaturated fatty acids, which are more beneficial from a nutritional point of view.”
The study focuses on more than 1,300 specimens of 58 species of fish and shellfish for human consumption that were for sale in markets in Spain (Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza, Alicante, Ametlla de Mar and L’Ampolla), Italy (Genoa , Civitavecchia, Alghero) and France (Marseille).
-
“Based on these results, health authorities should pay special attention to the species of fish and shellfish with the highest mercury levels and make appropriate preventive health recommendations, especially for pregnant women and children.”
General advice on fish consumption
The first thing to make clear is that eating fish and shellfish is good. They are an essential source of energy and protein. In addition, they provide us with essential nutrients such as , selenium, calcium, vitamins A and D and omega-3.
The question is to continue eating these products taking into account their mercury content and the population group.
Thus, he recommends:
-
For children between 1 and 9 years old, pregnant women or women who may become pregnant, eat the lowest mercury species that CSIC researchers list.
-
They also warn that it is better that these population groups do not consume any of the four types of fish that contain the most mercury, which are: swordfish / emperor, bluefin tuna, shark (dogfish, mako, dogfish, dogfish and blue shark) and pike .
-
Children between the ages of 10 and 14 should limit the consumption of these four mercury-rich species to 120 grams per month.
-
For the general population, the consumption of up to 3 or 4 servings of both white and blue fish per week is recommended.