Mercury and Tuna

**luggaguy** · January 26th, 2008, 01:37 PM

Hey everyone. Let me first apologize to anyone who's going to say that there is already a tread on this because I'm sure there is but I can't find it.....how much tuna is safe to eat? I usually eat a can of chunk light as snack between breakfast and lunch everyday. What research I've seen says white albacore has the highest concentration of mercury so to stay away. According to some government guidelines they say 1 can of albacore every 9 days, 1 can of chunk every 3 days. Any thoughts? Is my brain going to melt out of my ears in an effort to be lean and cut? Thanks.

**wildstang** · January 26th, 2008, 01:57 PM

ive had tuna as part of my diet over 40 years and havent experienced a problem anywere. my yearly physical and bloodwoork is good so far.

**sleepyles** · January 26th, 2008, 02:16 PM

Well I think it depends on your body and overall weight and size. I don't eat albacore, since it does have a higher mercury concentration. Also it depends on the "light tuna" that you consume. Some of the light tuna has yellowfin, which tends to have much more mercury than skipjack.

I eat "light tuna" about 4 times a week, and salmon at least once a week, and have had no problems. If you consume other seafood this will also contribute to how much mecury you consume. Remember those are just guidelines that the government posts. Fresh tuna has less mercury than canned tuna. However, some studies have found that sushi tuna has the highest concentration, so buyer/ consumer beware.

Hope this helps.

**pliny_2001** · January 26th, 2008, 09:13 PM

I've got an article about it somewhere - I'll just summarize, though if you want the actual like I can probably search around for it.

The older (bigger) the fish, the higher the mercury - as a predator, tuna get mercury from their prey, so the longer they're alive and the more they eat, the more they have in them. Fisheries aim to get the big tuna (lower production cost, though they have more mercury). Your numbers sound about right - the fix is that albacore is far and away a healthier fish to eat than those used in chunk.

I'll add another angle, too: while the studies showed that people had higher mercury intakes from fish, they didn't find any downsides (higher mercury levels in the body). More, larger, studies are on-going. So there's no real answer.

I just go with a company that line-catches small albacore (pricey, but I figure it's only my health).

**ProfGumby** · January 27th, 2008, 01:22 PM

Jumpin Jacked up Catfish Batman!

Is anything safe to eat anymore?

I would rather die from eating mercury laden tuna than anything named cheetos, doritos, ho ho's etc.....

Take it all with a grain of salt....hell recent articles are even slamming farm raised fish where what they swim in and what they eat is regulated.....

**pliny_2001** · January 27th, 2008, 02:45 PM

I'll risk the mercury-fish before I touch ho-ho's, too. But watch out for farmed fish: they're given a high-fat diet in order to promote rapid growth, and they don't get much - if any - exercise in their pens. Wild fish (salmon, really - I don't think that tuna can be farmed) are much healthier due to their diet and exercise, so they're a much better food source. Same thing with both chickens and eggs: free range > cage-free > regular. And grass-fed beef isn't even the same food as regular (corn-fed) beef.

I just think of it this way: food producers have no interest in my health. Practically anything that raises their production cost is a net gain for me.

**sucher67** · January 29th, 2008, 11:12 AM

There are indeed some previous threads about this topic, and they are informative.

EWG has a tuna calculator based on bodyweight, to calculate the maximum amount of tuna you can safely eat each week and not exceed what the FDA considers a safe exposure level. It is here: Tuna Calculator | Environmental Working Group

(It shouldn't be a surprise that the seafood industry thinks it is ok to exceed the servings recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration.)

To complicate things, there are many different types of Tuna. In this previous thread, I wrote:

What if we were talking about different kinds of beef? It is all beef, but depending upon where it comes from, you can get a different market price. A prime cut of Angus demands a certain price. Tuna follows the same principles.

Of course, it gets a little more complicated because the food industry in the U.S. is very powerful. They do not like to talk about mercury in tuna. In addition, they play games with food labels to make it more difficult for consumers to reject inferior products.

If you are lucky enough to be in an area where you can buy fresh tuna filets (like at a seafood market), then do so. If not, then you have to play the canned tuna game.

Albacore is the premium tuna and, in the U.S., only Albacore may be called White Tuna. It is a different fish than those sold as Light tuna, and does cost more. However, the meat is whiter and milder tasting than light tuna and according to most White tuna eaters, well worth the money.

Light tuna is more economical. Most Light tuna is one of two species: yellowfin or skipjack. While both offer excellent value, yellowfin is a more premium fish and this is apparent in the taste and colour.

Skipjack is relatively low in mercury, albacore and yellowfin are not. Mercury levels are often relatively high in tuna, due to their higher position in the food chain and the subsequent accumulation of heavy metals from their diet.

If you are not making anything fancy, then go for Light Tuna-- skipjack if you can find it (because of price AND mercury levels). If you are having company or want to indulge in tuna steaks, you won't regret getting Albacore.