Which seafood endangers or enhances your nervous system?

May 27, 6:37 PMSacramento Nutrition ExaminerAnne Hart

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How do you respond individually to specific foods? Neighborhood supermarkets frequently have signs posted at the fish counter for women of child-bearing age or pregnant women to avoid certain types of seafood with the names of the species mentioned due to the mercury levels.

According to an article in the August 2003 issue of Reader’s Digest, a cover story titled, “Hidden Dangers in Healthy Foods,” fish consumption is connected with individual reports of nervous system problems, illness, and hair loss due to mercury residues in fish.

On the C-health site, an article, “Study: Mercury in fish may not harm seniors' brain function,” reports that a study noted in the Journal of the American Medical Association says older adults may not need to worry about the effects of too much fish on their brains, according to research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The study found, “while higher blood mercury levels were linked with poorer recall and visual memory, they were also associated with better performance on a test of manual dexterity.” The study points to the safety of fish for older adults, but not for young people, especially not for women of child-bearing age or pregnant women.

On the other hand, another study noted, “The health benefits of eating fish regularly outweigh the danger from mercury and other contaminants even for pregnant women and children, according to two major reports published October 18, 2006 and reported in a Washington Post article by Sally Squires titled, “Benefits of Fish Exceed Risks, Studies Find - Experts Advise 2 Servings a Week." The study, by Harvard School of Public Health, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association noted that overall mortality in fish eaters was 17 percent lower, the study researchers found. Read the PDF file article regarding the study.

Health benefits, according to the article, especially for older adults include, Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish—especially oily fish such as salmon, sardines, and herring. These omega-3 fatty acids can help lower your blood pressure, lower your heart rate, and improve other cardiovascular risk factors. Also fish reduces the risk of death from heart disease. Fish intake has also been linked to a lower risk of stroke, depression, and mental decline with age.

Although some studies warn pregnant women not to eat fish, the Harvard School of Public Health study noted that fish had benefits for pregnant women, mothers who are breastfeeding, and women of childbearing age because fish intake supplies DHA, a specific omega-3 fatty acid which is beneficial for the brain development of infants.

On July 22, 2003, the Bee News Services of the Sacramento Bee, a daily newspaper reprinted an article titled, “Fish Diet May Help Seniors, Study Says.” The sub-title read, “Weekly helpings may cut Alzheimer’s risk, doctors argue.” The article listed Chicago as the origin of that news article. What’s missing in the article is any mention of what study the news piece referred to. The subject of the news reads: “Older people who eat fish at least once a week may cut their risk of Alzheimer’s disease by more than half, a study suggests.”

The only problem is that the study is not named. The news article proceeds to mention that the study adds to the evidence that what you eat might influence your risk of developing the chronic illness. What study? It refers to “a growing body of scientific evidence.”

What the article does discuss is that the scientific evidence adds to accumulated information on the subject of reducing risk of developing several chronic illnesses such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, or heart disease, if people eat a diet rich in fish, fruits, and vegetables and low in saturated fats from red meat. There are statistics from the Alzheimer’s Association in the article.

Approximately four million people in the USA are afflicted with Alzheimer’s now, and Alzheimer’s cases are expected to rise to 14 million by 2050. The evidence presented in the news article was that researchers’ found “people 65 and older who had eaten fish once a week had a 60 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s than those who never or rarely ate fish.” The article mentions that the meals included fish sticks and tuna sandwiches.

No mention of whether the tuna was wild-caught fish from the overrun that had been canned, whether the fish was canned with salt or no salt added, canned with oil or water-packed, or whether it was fresh tuna or how it was prepared—grilled, fried, or baked, or boiled? Was the research done by the fish industry? What about the warning labels in supermarket’s fish departments about the mercury in certain species of fish?

Nothing had been mentioned about wild-caught salmon, usually king salmon from the overrun that eventually gets sold in fish markets for double-digit prices per pound, except that the overrun of wild salmon is canned.

Other resources report that salmon if not farmed has lower contamination rates than tuna. The next step would emphasize researching wild-caught Alaskan salmon, comparing it to tuna, and then comparing wild to farmed fish. Fish containing the highest levels of mercury include: shark, swordfish, and fresh or frozen tuna (not canned).

Mercury affects infant’s nervous systems before and after birth. Therefore, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and women of childbearing age as well as young children should avoid four types of fish, according to the JAMA article, "Eating Fish: Health Benefits and Risks," by Janet M. Torpy; Cassio Lynm; Richard M. Glass, JAMA. 2006;296(15):1926. Women that are breastfeeding, and very young children should avoid 4 types of fish that are higher in mercury content: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and golden bass.

The article notes that, “Other fish should still be consumed to ensure that infants receive the benefits of DHA for brain development.”

Which types of fish have low levels of mercury? Light tuna, wild salmon, and shrimp have low levels of mercury. But there are other contaminants in fish, including in farmed fish. Chemicals that accumulate in any type of fish or in meat in general include dioxins and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls).

Then there are the plasticizers in foods that have remained wrapped or contained in certain plastics so long that the chemicals have leached out into the food or liquids. Some varieties of canned light tuna have relatively low levels of mercury. And other fish, such as wild and farmed salmon and shrimp, contain very low levels of mercury. 

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