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Tuna??


Dyceast

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I went to buy 10 cans today

Bought it back to work, and my workmate told me all this stuff about tuna and mercury that can lead to problems etc.

I was like (HUH!). Then did a lil googling.

Aparently a safe limit is like 3 cans a week on tuna lite. :shock:

Ive been eating like 2-3 cans a day.

Whats your thoughts on it.

Do you care about this.

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Yeah I've heard about Tuna and mercury. Personally I've eaten 2 or 3 cans a day for long periods of time and didn't have any of the typical side effects of to much mercury

If your worried about it you may want to just eat it for a few weeks at a time then replace it with another source of protein

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Yep, salmon comes under the same category. I think the key here is moderation. I try to get my daily protein from a range of different sources throughout the day. One meal may be chicken, another beef, eggs, fish, whey and so on... Not only does it reduce your reliance on any one food source (good in case of hormones in chicken, mercury in fish, cholesterol in eggs, allergies in whey) but it also keeps my diet interesting.

Mercury in salmon too, eh? Well, that's a fine kettle of fish indeed!

(Sorry, couldn't resist. It won't happen again, I promise. :P)

Not for a while, anyway.

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From what I have read about Tuna and other canned fish, heavy metal levels tend to be higher in fish caught in northern seas. I have read that the fish available in NZ is supposed to have lower levels of heavy metals.

The following info is from the sealord website - obviously they are going to be a little biased towards their product so wouldn't consider it gospel:

Is Tuna safe to eat regularly?

Yes. In general it is safe to consume 2-3 servings of any type of tuna per week. The smaller species of tuna generally used for canning has lower levels of mercury than other larger species of tuna. FSANZ has calculated it is safe for all population groups to consume a snack can of tuna (95grams) everyday, assuming no other fish is eaten.

Do Salmon and Tuna contain mercury?

We are pleased to confirm that our salmon and tuna are caught in the wild. We can also confirm salmon and tuna are routinely checked for contaminants including mercury levels. We test our canned products annually for mercury and they easily meet the New Zealand Australia food standard codes.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand also advise there is no reason for the general public to be concerned about the safety of fish available in the Australian and New Zealand markets. The level of mercury in most fish species is low and when a variety of fish are consumed as part of a balanced diet the intake of methyl mercury is small and should not be a cause for concern. While mercury can accumulate in the body over time, it is also readily excreted and, therefore, health problems can only occur following relatively high level exposure over an extended period - for the vast majority of the population, this is an unlikely scenario.

Is the salmon found in your canned salmon wild or farmed?

We are proud to say the salmon used in our canned products are caught in the wild and are not farmed. This is the same for our tuna and mackerel products.

Where is your tuna and salmon caught?

* Salmon is caught in the North East Pacific off the coast of Canada and Alaska.

* Tuna is caught mostly in the Western Pacific ocean but can be caught in the Indian ocean as well.

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Exposure to any form of mercury on a repeated basis, or even from a single, very high exposure can lead to the disease of chronic mercury poisoning. There are three main symptoms:

Gum problems. The gums become soft and spongy, the teeth get loose, sores may develop, and there may be increased saliva.

Mood and mental changes. People with chronic mercury poisoning often have wide swings of mood, becoming irritable, frightened, depressed or excited very quickly for no apparent reason. Such people may become extremely upset at any criticism, lose all self-confidence, and become apathetic. Hallucinations, memory loss and inability to concentrate can occur.

Nervous system. The earliest and most frequent symptom is a fine tremor (shaking) of the hand. A tremor may also occur in the tongue and eyelids. Eventually this can progress to trouble balancing and walking.

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Exposure to any form of mercury on a repeated basis, or even from a single, very high exposure can lead to the disease of chronic mercury poisoning. There are three main symptoms:

Gum problems. The gums become soft and spongy, the teeth get loose, sores may develop, and there may be increased saliva.

Mood and mental changes. People with chronic mercury poisoning often have wide swings of mood, becoming irritable, frightened, depressed or excited very quickly for no apparent reason. Such people may become extremely upset at any criticism, lose all self-confidence, and become apathetic. Hallucinations, memory loss and inability to concentrate can occur.

Nervous system. The earliest and most frequent symptom is a fine tremor (shaking) of the hand. A tremor may also occur in the tongue and eyelids. Eventually this can progress to trouble balancing and walking.

Guys, Im no hypochondriac but I developed a problem of chronic hand shaking and it wouldnt stop. I went to the doctor and she said it is mostly a benign tremor and not to worry about it. Off late my eye lids have started quivering as well.. that could be related to stress as well.

I would b e lying if I said I havent been experiencing mood swings which I attributed to current trauma in the rest of my life..

Ive also been eating 2 cans of tuna a day for the last 2 years.

hmm youve all got me a little worried now.

Im going off tuna starting from tomorrow.

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The Mercury Blood Test measures exposure to all three types of mercury, but because mercury remains in the bloodstream for only a few days after exposure, the test must be done soon after exposure. Most non-exposed people have mercury levels of 0 to 2 (all blood measurements are in micrograms of mercury per deciliter of blood, or ug/dl). Levels above 2.8 ug/dl are required to be reported to the Health Department. This test can be influenced by eating fish, because fish (particularly certain deep sea fish) may contain mercury.

The Urine Mercury Test only measures exposure to elemental and inorganic mercury. Organic mercury is not passed out the body in the urine and thus cannot be measured this way. A person with no exposure to mercury would probably have a urine mercury level of 0 to 20 ug/L. The Health Department requires reporting of levels above 20.

more info on:

http://www.pp.okstate.edu/ehs/training/mercury.htm

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I had a feeling that testing was done via a hair sample?

EDIT: Aha! :D

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts46.html#bookmark09

Is there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to mercury?

Tests are available to measure mercury levels in the body. Blood or urine samples are used to test for exposure to metallic mercury and to inorganic forms of mercury. Mercury in whole blood or in scalp hair is measured to determine exposure to methylmercury [which, according to Wikipedia, is the type of mercury that accumulates in fish]. Your doctor can take samples and send them to a testing laboratory.

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wow usefull info guys ! thankx !

now if someone could just tell me .. how long does mercury take to clear the system i.e. if I was to stop with tuna would it exist the system eventuall or would it stay in my body for ever or how long does it take to clear...

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Varven, I can't answer your last question, but I was wondering, given that you've already been to the doctor about your hand tremor and that you've now got the eye twitching thing going on, have you considered going back to your doctor and requesting a mercury test, given all the information that's been posted here?

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Varven, I can't answer your last question, but I was wondering, given that you've already been to the doctor about your hand tremor and that you've now got the eye twitching thing going on, have you considered going back to your doctor and requesting a mercury test, given all the information that's been posted here?

Yeah I am going back to get tested. Also need a blood test done to check my test and cholestrol levels anyway.. something ive been meaning to do since ive started eating high calorie diets.

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Crikey - I think we may be over reacting slightly.

While there's plenty of info out there pointing to potential problems with pregnant women, have a read of this and hopefully you should be somewhat less stressed.

http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do? ... 5-148-diet

Read all of it - including the reply posts as there's some pretty good unbiased info and a few studies referenced too.

There's probably far worse things in your diet to worry about than the mercury in Tuna - personally I'm pretty sure all the beer I've drunk over the last 10 years has done a lot more damage to my brain than the tuna I've had in that time (which would be well over 2000 cans). And the alternatives are probably worse anyway - think of all that chicken you're eating - estrogen anybody?

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Toothless,.......grumpy,........with uncontrolable tremors,...........sounds like 90% of the old folk at the local retirement village.

I've was grumpy long before starting a diet of 3 tins pink salmon or 3 tins tuna per day.

Only negative "side affect" I can say I noticed, was a distinct stink from my pee (sorry, too much info, I guess), if I ate any tins of smoked pink salmon, so now it's just plain ol' no-salt-added, pink salmon.

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Yeah I cant eat tuna in water or tuna in basil. Its just yuk :o

Signature range smoked tuna is blardy nice. I can eat cans after cans of that stuff.

Low in fat, and 32grams of protein per 180 gm can.

But with this mercury thing, I try to keep it as low as i can on tuna for a while.

But if needed I'll eat it...

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