An extensive report in the Chicago Tribune reveals that seafood consumers in the United States are at serious risk for mercury exposure, since regulators are ignoring their own experts, issuing flawed warnings, and setting policies favorable to industry rather than consumers.
Three Times the Legal Limit
The Tribune staff tested a piece of imported swordfish from a grocery store, untested by any U.S. regulatory agency and carrying no warning labels. They discovered that it contained three times the legal level of mercury.
At Risk for DecadesThe reporters further showed that repeated neglect by the U.S. government has unnecessarily put Americans at risk for decades. Failures on the government's part include a lack of mercury testing, failure to adequately warn consumers, and an unwillingness to enforce their own rules.
Ignoring Their Own ScientistsIn some cases, regulators ignored the advice of their own scientists, who concluded that mercury was far more dangerous than what consumers were being told. Regulators have also routinely made decisions that benefited industry at the expense of public health.Mercury can cause learning disabilities in children and neurological problems in adults.
If you ever eat store-bought fish you'll want to read this awesome report by the Chicago Tribune about the perils of eating this mercury-contaminated food. Perhaps it was written in reaction to the study conducted earlier this year by scientists at the University of North Carolina showing that 50 percent of the swordfish samples tested by researchers exceeded the FDA's action limit.
Sad to say, the gist of the Tribune report is probably nothing new to many of you who visit my blog. The advice regularly dispensed by the FDA and EPA regarding the hazards of eating fish is so misleading and faulty that you may be led to believe you're eating a "safe" amount of fish when, in fact, you're not.
And, even though the FDA acknowledges people may be harmed by eating these mercury-laden fish, environmental regulations governing this toxic metal haven't changed over the past quarter-century. Despite comments to the contrary by David Acheson, the FDA's chief medical officer, one agency scientist confessed today's mercury standard reflects the science of the 1970s. U.S. standards are considered to be among the weakest in the world.
This hardly comes as a surprise, though, when you consider that the FDA and other U.S. regulatory agencies are in the pockets of industry. It isn't your health they're looking out for, but the bottom lines of their "business partners."
Fish oil or cod liver oil is a "supplement" that I believe nearly every one of you reading this should be taking, as it is far less expensive than seafood and typically free of heavy metal contamination. I actually don't consider it a supplement but a food source.
One important factor to remember about taking fish oil is: Since most fish of all varieties, as the Trib article mentions, have high levels of mercury -- a tasteless but toxic heavy metal -- it's vital you find a FISH OIL source free of impurities.
How do you know which fish oil is best for you? Here are three quick tests:
1. Make sure that your brand is free of mercury and PCBs. This will not be on the label so you will need to:
2. Confirm that there are very low oxidation products in the fish or cod liver oil.
It is important to understand fish oil and cod liver oil have long-chain unsaturated fats (primarily EPA and DHA) and they are very susceptible to oxidation or damage. If the oil is not processed properly damage will occur. Many years ago nearly all the fish oils were oxidized. That is why when you mention cod liver oil to most anyone they turn up their nose in disgust. Typically, they only taste bad when they are oxidized.
3. Make certain that your fish oil or cod liver oil has therapeutic levels of vitamin E in it.
Nearly all manufacturers insert a small amount of one unit per teaspoon. This is sufficient to prevent oxidation of the fish oil in the bottle. However, after you consume it this is woefully inadequate. Your body will tend to oxidize the fish oil and much larger doses of vitamin E are needed to prevent the fish oil from going rancid in your body.
There are several high-quality fish oils on the market, but most of them are not and you are playing Russian roulette with your health unless you do your homework. Do your own test as I have described above or select Carlson's fish or cod liver oil. You can purchase them in nearly any health food store or you can support our work and all the free information we provide you and purchase it in our store.
You see, generally our diet contains far too much omega-6 fat (found in margarine and vegetable and sunflower oils). Experts looking at the dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids suggest that in early human history the ratio was about 1:1. Currently most Americans eat a dietary ratio that falls between 20:1 and 50:1! The optimal ratio is most likely closer to the original ratio of 1:1.
For most of us this means greatly reducing the omega-6 fatty acids we consume and increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in fish oil.
And, as I mentioned above, while fish WOULD BE an excellent omega-3 source, mercury levels in almost all fish have now hit dangerously high levels across the world, and the risk of this mercury to your health now outweighs the fish's omega-3 benefits.
However, there is a silver lining to this cloud. After searching for a SAFE source of fish you can eat without having to worry about mercury levels and added toxins, I finally discovered one: Vital Choice Alaskan Wild Red Salmon. I had the salmon, which are harvested in Alaskan waters, tested through an independent lab and it was found to be free of mercury and other toxins. I also tasted it in a variety of recipes, and I can now confidently and enthusiastically recommend this source to you!
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