I eat a lot of tuna as a way to get the most protein. However, I have heard of a number of reports that eating tuna more than twice a week results in mercury poisoning. On the other hand I have read there is nothing to this and is only a myth. Anyone have any clear information?

I eat a lot of tuna as a way to get the most protein. However, I have heard of a number of reports that eating tuna more than twice a week results in mercury poisoning. On the other hand I have read there is nothing to this and is only a myth. Anyone have any clear information? A quick google search should give you tons of reports to read over :)

What I've gathered is like this: you'd have to eat POUNDS of tuna/salmon every day for decades to get a SLIGHT rise in the POSSIBILITY of getting some cancer as a result of mercury.

I'm not worried about it -- the smog, sun, and California drivers will kill me before the tuna does ;)

I was watching an interesting documentary on the fish eating habits of people after that report was published. It is infact WORSE for you not to intake enough fish in your weekly diet then it is to intake whatever little mercury content is present by eating more fish then you should. Enjoy your tuna and don't worry about it! :D

A quick google search should give you tons of reports to read over :)

What I've gathered is like this: you'd have to eat POUNDS of tuna/salmon every day for decades to get a SLIGHT rise in the POSSIBILITY of getting some cancer as a result of mercury.

I'm not worried about it -- the smog, sun, and California drivers will kill me before the tuna does ;)

Nice post. :tu: Does anyone actually know of anyone who has gotten a confirmed case of mercury poisoning from eating fish? I thought not. ;)

What I've gathered is like this: you'd have to eat POUNDS of tuna/salmon every day for decades to get a SLIGHT rise in the POSSIBILITY of getting some cancer as a result of mercury.



So I had not read that cancer was the real problem (although I believe too much of anything will give you cancer), but mercury causes dementia. The people who made felt hats back in the day would rub mercury into the felt (to preserve it?) and after continued exposure they would eventually go mad. This is where mad as a hatter came from.

Check out this thread for tuna and mercury info
http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=238&highlight=mercury

From what I learned, it is the solid white or albacore tuna that sometimes contains a higher than normal amount of mercury. It is for this reason that I eat the chunk light tuna as opposed to the solid white tuna. The chunk tuna is made of smaller/younger fish that have less mercury collected in them because they simply haven't been around as long as the older/bigger fish that is used to make solid white tuna. If you follow some of the links provided in the thread you find recent reports in Canada advising people to especially not eat the solid white tuna more than once a week. Of course it depends a lot on weight. That's why they worry about children more.

I eat the chunk light 5oz cans like 3-4 times a week and I'm not too worried. I think I have dementia anyway sometimes :p