As most of us know the fatty acids contained in fish are considered critical for a healthy body and mindm but if you've been eating fish either canned or fresh you might have more in common with this guy than you ever would've guessed. So, what exactly do you, the health conscious fish eater have with the first Qin Dynasty emperor? Simply put, mercury.
The early Qin Shi is thought to have died from mercury poisoning after
consuming mercury laced tonics in his fruitless effort to become immortal.
Unless you want to retry his fateful immortality experiments it is important
that you make informed decisions on the amount and type of fish you consume.
Although there are very
specific guidelines given by the FDA that track average mercury levels
in commonly eaten fish that you should look at, a simple rule you can follow is
to eat fish at the bottom of the food chain. Although the mechanism by which
mercury accumulates in fish contains several variables such as location, diet
and levels of fatty tissue, in general fish that eat other fish will contain
higher levels of mercury than fish that don't.
Take for example the diet of swordfish versus sardines, the FDA cites
the mercury concentration in swordfish at 0.976 parts per million compared to
sardines at 0.016 parts per million. As you could guess the diet of a fish that
has a sharp pike attached to is generally predatory with its staple diet
including octopus and mackerel, compared to the sardines, who often have no
teeth at all and instead filter feed plankton. The same comparison can be done
with shark and anchovies, with similar results.
Besides diet, another important factor that contributes to mercury
levels in fish is the average life cycle of the species. The longer a fish has
lived the greater the chance for high levels of mercury accumulation.
This information is especially important for women who are either
pregnant or could become pregnant in the future. Just as in fish, mercury
levels in humans can take years to naturally dissipate once consumed,
potentially causing harm to a fetus.
So next time you are looking for a fishy treat, remember two things,
mercury won’t make you immortal and do your best to always eat fish with short life
cycles at the bottom of the food chain.
Salmon is frequently touted for its beneficial effect, yet there it is, right up there with the other big fish at the top of the food chain.
Posted by: ClubPenguinCheats | May 16, 2011 at 03:20 AM