Can Healthy Omega 3 Fatty Acids Also Give You Mercury Poisoning?Posted on February 12th, 2008 |
Categories: Omega-3 Fats | Nutrition | Mercury Toxicity | Food Choices | Detox
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Ninety-nine percent of Americans are deficient in this nutrient – but if they eat it, it could poison them!
What am I talking about?
Omega-3 fatty acids, which are often found in fish oil.
Research suggests that the omega-3s in certain fish may cure or treat most chronic illnesses, including depression, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, dementia, autism, ADHD, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. In fact, about 60 percent of your brain is – or should be – made of fish oil.
But getting those omega-3s can be dangerous.
For example, a recent laboratory study of tuna sushi from a selection of New York City restaurants found levels of mercury so high that they exceeded the safe limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and would allow the Food and Drug Administration to take legal action to remove the fish from the market.
Now, we’ve got more media coverage and more headlines, but not much more understanding. Should we eat fish or shouldn’t we?
==> Today, I’m going clear up the confusion.
The experts are saying that if you are a pregnant or breast-feeding woman or a child, you shouldn’t eat any fish. The rest of us fish-eaters, well, we can have sushi no more than once every 3 weeks.
I guess the government thinks it’s fine to poison men and older women.
Does this make any sense?
If something is a proven toxin – and mercury is the second most common toxin known to humans – then why would we want to eat ANY of it?
Of course, there are times when I just can’t resist a piece of fresh-off-the-boat, line-caught, deep red, thinly sliced, bluefin tuna that melts in my mouth.
But then again, I suffered from mercury poisoning from growing up on tuna fish, eating too much fish while I lived in China, and breathing the dark black coal-soaked winter air of Beijing for too long.
From that experience, I know how to get the mercury out of my body quickly by using special foods, supplements, saunas, and chelation therapy. (See my blog on mercury detoxification for more information.)
And a large part of healing many chronic illnesses is learning how to reduce our total toxic burden while learning how to boost and optimize our own detoxification systems. (See my blog on UltraWellness Key #5 for more information.)
Chronic mercury toxicity is one of the most common things I see and treat in my medical practice.
It is also something I learned nothing about in medical school.
Yet day after day, I find toxic levels in the blood and in the bodies of patients with depression, heart disease, dementia and memory loss, cancer, autism, ADHD, autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, neurological problems, insomnia, digestive problems, and more.
In fact, I think screening for mercury should be standard in our toxic world. Everyone should have their mercury level checked.
Once you get the mercury out, your depression lifts, your memory returns, your energy surges, your digestion normalizes, and your joints no longer hurt.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
==> Before I tell you how you can get your omega-3s safely, I’d like to explain more about mercury.
Mercury is emitted from coal-burning industrial facilities at the rate of 2,900 tons (or over 6 million pounds) per year.
If you imagine that mercury is toxic at greater than 1 part per million (ppm), and that the EPA has declared the “safe” level of mercury exposure to be less than 0.1 micrograms/kilogram of body weight/day – then we are in big trouble.
That mercury-laden pollution floats through the air from China and our own coal-burning plants and lands in the oceans, rivers, and soil of our planet.
Mercury occurs in larger concentrations as you move up the food chain – especially in fish.
In my medical journal, I reported on a conference at Tulane University on the effects of mercury on human health. You can download the report for free if you want to read more.
And a new 2006 report from the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine called “Seafood Choices: Balancing Benefits and Risks” highlights new research that links mercury not only to neurological diseases, but also to heart disease and cancers.
What are most frightening are autopsy studies on mercury-exposed people.
Adult brains show damage in only a few areas – the ones responsible for dementia and depression. But if exposure to mercury occurs in the womb or early in life, it is deposited in the entire brain and completely disrupts normal brain development.
Clearly, you should avoid mercury!
But if you want all the health benefits of omega-3s, what should you do?
There’s good news.
==> Here’s the solution.
- Eat only small fish that fit in your pan. These include sardines, herring, small wild salmon, and some organic farm-raised salmon (although they are not high in omega-3 fats).
- Stay away from tuna, swordfish, shark, tilefish, and sea bass, as well as nearly all river fish.
- Take a fish oil supplement every day. But buy ONLY from companies that document distilled or purified fish oil that’s 100 percent free of industrial pollutants, especially mercury. Everyone should take 1,000 to 2,000 mg of fish oil a day.
- Vegetarians can get the same benefits. Eat plant sources of omega-3 fats such as walnuts, and ground flax seeds, and purslane (a green vegetable). Plus, you should supplement with algae-derived DHA (one of the most important omega-3 fats needed for brain function). Take 100 to 200 mg of DHA twice a day.
==> Here’s how you can determine your own mercury levels:
- Blood tests. These are the most common tests for mercury and detect ONLY recent exposure over the last few months. But even if they are normal, you can’t be sure you are home free.
- Hair analysis. This tests only methylmercury levels from fish consumption. Ideal levels are lower than 1 ppm.
- Urine test after a provocation or chelation challenge with DMSA or DMPS, followed by a six-hour urine collection. This is the ONLY way to know if you have accumulated a lot of mercury in your body over a lifetime. Ideal levels are less then 5-micrograms/gram creatinine. Use Doctor’s Data Laboratory (www.doctordata.com) or Genova (www.gdx.net) for testing.
- Urinary porphyrin testing is a noninvasive way to tell if the mercury is poisoning your cells (www.metametrix.com).
==> Special Quiz: Are you omega-3 deficient?
Do you suffer from any of the following? Score 1 for each positive answer. Any positive answers can indicate an omega-3 fat deficiency.
- Soft, cracked, or brittle nails
- Dry, itchy, scaling, or flaking skin
- Hard earwax
- Chicken skin (tiny bumps on the backs of arms or on the trunk)
- Dandruff
- Aching or stiffness in joints
- Thirsty most of the time
- Constipation
- Light colored, hard, or foul-smelling stools
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Fibrocystic breasts
- Premenstrual syndrome
- High LDL cholesterol, low HDL levels, and high triglycerides
- North Atlantic genetic background: Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Scandinavian, or coastal Native American
- Eat fish like sardines, herring, or wild salmon less than 3 times a week
So take a good look at your life, your symptoms, and your diet. You might need a (fish) oil change. And remember, you can have your fish and eat it too!
Now I’d like to hear from you…
Are you confused about fish and mercury?
How do you get your omega-3 fats?
Do you plan to get tested for mercury contamination?
Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, M.D.
References
Choi BH. The effects of methylmercury on the developing brain. Prog Neurobiol. 1989;32(6):447-70. Review.
Hibbeln JR, Nieminen LR, Lands WE. Increasing homicide rates and linoleic acid consumption among five Western countries, 1961-2000. Lipids. 2004 Dec;39(12):1207-13.
C. BERNARD GESCH, SEAN M. HAMMOND, SARAH E. HAMPSON, ANITA EVES, and MARTIN J. CROWDER Influence of supplementary vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids on the antisocial behaviour of young adult prisoners: Randomised, placebo-controlled trial Br. J. Psychiatry, Jul 2002; 181: 22 - 28.
Freeman MP. Omega-3 fatty acids and perinatal depression: a review of the literature and recommendations for future research. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2006 Oct-Nov;75(4-5):291-7.
Richardson AJ. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in childhood developmental and psychiatric disorders. Lipids. 2004 Dec;39(12):1215-22. Review.
Freund-Levi Y, Basun H, Cederholm T, Faxen-Irving G, Garlind A, Grut M, Vedin I, Palmblad J, Wahlund LO, Eriksdotter-Jonhagen M. Omega-3 supplementation in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: effects on neuropsychiatric symptoms. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2007 Jun 21
Parker G, Gibson NA, Brotchie H, Heruc G, Rees AM, Hadzi-Pavlovic D. Omega-3 fatty acids and mood disorders. Am J Psychiatry. 2006 Jun;163(6):969-78. Review. Erratum in: Am J Psychiatry. 2006 Oct;163(10):1842.
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Source of Omega 3's
Hi!
To respond to your inquiry about where I get my Omega 3s, one source I use is flaxseed oil used as a salad dressing or a vegetable dressing, and a second source is Nature's Plus Ultra Omega 3/6/9. The label does not indicate what type of fish the fish oil comes from on the Nature's Plus Ultra Omega 3/6/9. This supplement contains 3 types of oils, Borage Oil, Fish Oil, and Flax Oil.
Directions are to take one softgel 3 x a day.
Fish source
Is canned wild salmon still considered safe? What if sardines seem to upset my stomach?
I would like to order some of the things you offer, like the cookbook sale, but I simply will not put my credit card out there. Can't there be a phone number to call? There are always spams that follow the Ultra-wellness postings. I love Dr. Hymans work and would like a phone number to order with.
Fish oil supplements
My Omega 3 supplement states that it is "3rd party purity tested to ensure PCBs, dioxins, mercury, lead and other contaminants are below detectable limits." It also states that it is from wild caught small fish 360mg EPA/240mg DHA per serving. Is this a good supplement?Thanks in advance for helping...I own both the ultra-metabolism book and Ultra simple diet and really like them both
omega 3 question
Hi is it safe to take the daily dose of 1000 to 2000 in fish oil if you are trying to get pregnant or are pregnant?
How can I get tested for mercury levels here in Scottsdale, Az?
Lok forward to answer
I'm taking about 1000mg of
I'm taking about 1000mg of omega 3's every day along with 2000 of glucosamine plus other supplements it gets expensive shopping local so i just started getting discount vitamins online that's been saving me a bunch
Omega 3's
My Dr. Put me on prescription Omacor (omega-3-acid ethyl esters) Capsules.
4 capsules daily
Is this agood source
I can't find any information on what the source is
Laura
mercury poision
dr hyman what do you think of Humifulate Chorella Cilentro & L-Cysteine
as a detox for Mercury?
Toxic levels
Hello,
I have high levels of copper in my system. My physician does not know what to do for it. I have sulfite sensetivites as well as food allergies. Can you help me? Is there anyway to "cure" food allergies? Please, I desperately need help as I know I DO NOT get the required nutrients.
Thank you!
omega 3
Why would you choose to eat fish with so much polution and excessive mercury with in them?
It seems to me that fish are genuinly over fished, trawled up in huge nets where they kill thousands of dolphins every week aswell as many other marine species, poluted and not good for human comsumption or be it very occassionly.
Why not choose a plant based omega 3 oils such as hemp seed oil or linseed oil. Hemp and Linseed are fast growing draw in carbon from the atmosphere full of omega oils in a similable form for humans and are sustainable kind to the enviroment and the farmers who grow them?
Hemp plant pulp can also be used to make clothes, paper and insulation for houses. Linseed husks make a great natural alternative to sinthetic pillow fillers and help to give you a good night sleep.
I give these oils to my kids in smoothies or poured on there pasta or vegetables or just given on the spoon. For my son hemp oil cured his exma. I also have daily doses and I think it keeps me mentally alert and my joints supple. Even one dessertspoon a day goes a long way.
Mercury
Thank you for your information on Mercury toxicity. We currently live in Shanghai, China and have been very concerned about the pollution and food we consume here. When we are back in the states this summer we are all going to have a chelation test for our levels. I appreciate the information and will be using it to help us detox while we are over here.
Thanks again.
Need help finding a Dr in my area that is like you
I am Rachell. I am 25 I weighed 310 2 weeks ago and felt very badly . I know I have a long road ahead of me but I am willing to walk it . I now weigh 294 I have been reading your book and eating whole foods and trying to change up my life style . I am still finding out what I am allergic to . I think I am allergic to sugar . Is that possible ?I can not eat any processed sugar. It could just be a peper mint I swell and gain 2 pounds over night .I have so many things I can not eat . Most red veggies make me have a sore throat and stomach issues as well as red fruit . I did not know that about fish . Thank you so much for your post I am an avid reader of your bloggs . I eat tilapia . I dont really care for fish I eat ground flax seed in my oat meal . Walnuts I am allergic to them . Are there others I can try ? Wlanuts make my hands swell up and I cant get my rings off . Should I drink bottled water ? I have well water from the ground . I live in the counrty . How do you know you are getting a good vitamin ? Do you have a place I can order reputable vitamins from? Sorry so many questions and thoughts I want to be a herbalist. I Love finding things that help heal . One more question I have 4 children how do I control stress ? Do you have any I deas . My oldest is 7 and my youngest is 2 I also home school . God Bless have a great day
My source for Omega 3's
Firstly I would like to Thank You Dr. Hyman for the time you spend creating this website. I discovered you this morning and didn't have to read for too long to realize that there is a cornucopia of knowledge and information for regaining health.
I get my Omega 3's from www.drdavesbest.com. I take the Super Omega 3 supplement that contains 2000 mg of pharmaceutical grade fish oil. Dr. Dave offers a dazzling lineup of supplements that he claims are all pharmaceutical grade. I have been with him for a couple of years and am extremely pleased and recommend his supplements to everyone who will listen.
Another product I discovered on the web is Colonix by DrNatura. I am one month into a 90-120 day cleansing program. I am extremely pleased with the Colonix and this weekend with begin to phase in the Toxinout program they have. I wanted to do the colon cleanse for one month first before adding in the Toxinout. I turned 60 in Feb. and have never done a colon cleanse and figured it's about time. I feel so much better than a month ago and am looking forward to adding the Toxinout now. It ends up being a lot of pills to take and a lot of water to drink which I am not used to, but it gets easier every day. We spend a lot of time in our life putting stuff into our bodies and I have come to realize how important it is to periodically take some things out. I am in pretty good health for my age and I want to keep it that way and I believe that it's even possible at my age to feel younger and healthier if a person goes about it the right way. So many people think that because you are 60 now you should be like this or feel like this and start looking for signs of chronic illness etc. I just brush that away and don't even listen to that kind of talk. I felt really happy on the day I turned 60 and just Thanked God for allowing me to make it this far!
I do want to get tested for mercury and will resource your site for more information on that. I would also like to get tested for yeast. I think I have or had a problem with that. Part of the Colonix program are parasite capsules that they call Paranil and you take 4 every morning with a glass of water. I think that right away started attacking my yeast. I started feeling better within two days of starting the colon cleanse. I just can't recommend Dr. Dave and Colonix enough and Now Dr. Hyman I will add you to the list. Thank You again!
omega-3
I have been reading about chia seeds being high in omega-3. What is your postiion on this issue?
specifics please
How can one detox from mercury?
Omega 3's are very
Omega 3's are very beneficial! I take them daily to help balance out my blood pressure and prevent it from not getting too high. I think this site on omega 3 is a good companion to your post, it gives extra info on taking it in supplement form.
Omega 3 - we do have good Options to Increase our Levels
Mercury is a terrible addition to our diets. It is a very disturbing realization that much of our fish is not healthy to eat anymore. As the article explains the higher on the food chain the higher the mercury levels of the fish. Increasing your Omega 3 levels is a must to "increase" your health. I believe it is the ratios between Omega 6 and Omega 3 that is making us sick in modern times.
Our milk, egg and cheeses are no longer healthy. Although I have seen research that indicates grass fed and natural roaming animals can still be rather healthy. That is a very good turn of events. Imagine an animal living and eating how they are supposed to could be healthier for you? We do have choices to increase our levels. I like to take a cod liver oil in the winter and spring when we do not receive enough sunlight. Vitamin D is a very important vitamin. It is much better to get from the sun but in the winter months we just can't. SO the next best thing is to get vitamin D from cod liver oil. As the article explains be sure to check that the poisons are tested and are non-existent. Taking cod liver oil in the "dark" months can do much good for your health. One increase your Omega 3 levels and as a bonus keep your Vit D up to healthy levels.
In the late spring and summer well into fall I like to take a krill oil supplement. Krill oil has many advantages over cod liver oil. Some of these benefits include very low on the food chain so they do not accumulate mercury. They are also a renewable food source. Unlike fish which are being over fished. They are high in anti oxidants. Including astaxanthin and a novel marine flavonoid. Krill is also absorbed better then fish oilIt is very important to increase our levels of Omega 3. I have giving a a couple of suggestions above. I did not give all the benefits that have been related to increasing levels. As said in the main article it is relevant to just about every American disease.
Dpmsurf
www.omega-3-for-your-health.com
dmarsh@omega-3-for-your-health.com
Mercury levels in fish are
Mercury levels in fish are a function of diet and age, and may have relatively little to do with coal emissions, compared with emissions from natural ocean floor vents. ("High" mercury levels have been found in fish remains pre-dating the industrial revolution.) Tuna is not inherently high in mercury. Troll-caught albacore of smaller size are low in mercury. You can get it from www.vitalchoice.com.
Fears about mercury in fish are generally overblown, except with regard to frequent consumption of the few ocean species Dr. Hyman names, and some fresh water fish.
Ocean fish (not freshwater fish) are consistently high in selenium, which binds to methylmercury.
This may be why the rigorous Seychelles study undermines severely the hypothesis that eating a lot of ocean fish harms child brain development.
Every evidence review conducted to date suggests that developmental dangers to children of avoiding ocean fish outweigh the dangers of the mercury in them.
See http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article000930157.cfm?x=b6CLG4Q,b1kJpvRw,w
And http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article000709707.cfm?x=b8wQMPW,b67kwpM8,w
And http://newsletter.vitalchoice.com/e_article000709698.cfm?x=b8wQMPW,b67kwpM8,w
Fish oil does not need to be molecularly distilled to be free of contaminants, if it is from an inherently clean fish like wild Alaskan salmon. (You can get NSF-certified pure non-distilled salmon oil from www.vitalchoice.com.) Makers of standard fish oil distill it because they use fish of various sources and purities, and it is easier to clean up the oil after extraction than to test the fish beforehand.
There is no such thing as organic farmed fish (yet), and farmed salmon fed standard chow (which includes fish meal) are as high or higher in omega-3s than wild salmon. (Fish meal and oil could be severely restricted in farmed salmon chow under proposed USDA rules, which would make Dr. Hyman right … but that is not reality yet.)
Re: the omega-3 deficiency quiz:
Omega-3s do not lower LDL (they often raise it slightly), or raise HDL much. They lower triglycerides and exert various beneficial effects on vascular health, tone, and arrythmia risk.
What is the evidence that people of North Atlantic or Native American genetic background are deficient in omega-3s? I find none in PubMed or online.
craig nelson
Re:Can Healthy Omega 3......
Thanks for the information you provided. Mercury poisoning is an alarming issue in one’s health. Now I discovered that omega 3 fatty acids, which contain fish oil, could be dangerous to our health because it contains a high level of mercury. As what I’ve heard, Jeremy Piven, star of the multiple Emmy award winning HBO program Entourage, was earning some serious extra cash for appearing in a Broadway play. He left the production on advice from his doctor due to a high mercury count in his blood. Mercury poisoning is a very serious condition that can be fatal if untreated. The director, who does not have an MD, nor a completed medical internship or residency, called hogwash on the star's departure on advice from a medical professional. Mercury is a highly toxic substance that can kill in small amounts. If you want to find out what would cause Jeremy Piven to turn down so much <a title="What could cause Jeremy Piven to turn down extra cash" rev="vote-for" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2008/12/18/piven-turns-down-extra-cash-because-of-mercury-count/">extra cash</a>, check out this article.