EFA, Seafoods, Selenium & Mercury
Seafoods are a valuable source of omega-3 nutrients needed for human health. People believe that mercury in seafoods pose a health risk. Emissions from large coal-burning powerplants spread it across the countryside and into streams, rivers and oceans. However, a balanced view of health risks shows that mercury in foods may not carry a significant risk. It impairs health by binding important sulfur and selenium compounds in the body. This might cause neural damage if selenium supply was low. Importantly, selenium from foods binds tightly to mercury and makes it less harmful to metabolic systems. Much evidence from several agencies plus a video by Nick Ralston tell how selenium neutralizes risk of toxicity.
Fish have MORE selenium than mercury.
As a result, the selenium eaten in seafoods lets mercury accumulate in human tissues with no sign of harm. The few well-known examples of harmful “spills” had little balancing amount of selenium.
A research report by Hibbeln, et al. describes how benefits from eating the needed omega-3 nutrients in seafoods outweighs the risk for harm from the mercury in seafoods. Also, seafood is not the major food source of mercury in diets.
Eating more seafood gives benefit as you Nix6 and Eat3.
Updated September, 2018