will tuna make me dumb

[kevin harris]

the truth to this question eludes me....
so please help
tuna is a staple in any body builders diet that is broke
i eat 3 or 4 cans a day ...chunk light ablacore is like steak-too expensive
so what is the story about mercury poisoning i am 24 and have eaten 3 cans almost regulary for 5 or 6 years
i still can do math and hold a conversation
but will all that end?

[Ironman]

It interferes with growth and development of the brain. It is only a problem for kids. Or at least a certain unknown quantity is very likely to be a problem for kids. So to be safe no tuna for pregnant women, and keep it real low with kids. By late teens it shouldn't really matter though.

I eat the white tuna myself. At 32 grams of protein a can, it's the best.

[hoosegow]

It might effect your ability to capatilize and punctuate:) Mercury poison can make adults crazy. The phrase "mad as a hatter" refers to makers of hats. They used mercury in the process and it eventually made them mad. I wouldn't worry about it. I commend you on the 3 cans of tuna a day. I used to love tuna, but now sometimes I gag just looking at a can.

[Guest]

thanks to both of you
that solves it
you are right 32 grams for about .50 is real hard to beat

and about the capitals that takes far too long:)

[Ryan A]

I have read that more than 3 cans per week is too much.

If you are doing 3 cans per day then that seems a bit excessive.

Albacore is actually worse because the fish are larger and therefore able to store more mercury.

[Sliver]

This might help.

1 can per week of albacore white tuna is the MOST you are allowed to eat. (or 3 cans of light chunk tuna.) acording to the FDA/EPA.

[hoosegow]

Good post Silver. Might have to research it some more. Maybe that explains some of my bizarre behavior.

[Ironman]

The truth is, all we know is some tuna has been tested with high levels. So we don't really know, what the levels will be like from can to can. We don't really know what the effect is either. The only way to be safe for sure is not to eat it. In my opinion it has been blown out of preportion. Besides that, it's been latched onto by all those animal rights wackos. The same people that wouldn't kill a roach, but would gladly see every meat eating human dead tomorrow. If I go mad, don't eat any more tuna. :)

[Sliver]

But you have to admit, if the FDA/EPA say 1 can a week, and you're eating 3 or 4 a day, you're tempting fate.

[Guest]

the fda also says that 90 mg of vitamin c is good enough

who knows?
i have been all over the web looking for answers
everyone i talk to says its bad--to what extent i have no idea.
about 5 years ago i read an article about a woman that had mercury poisoning and it was scary $h!t, but only one
i cant be the only one in this sport that eat tuna like most eat white bread, where are all the poisoned people?

[kevin harris]

that last reply was from me

sliver thanks for that link--that was by far the best i have read about the topic

do you know any thing about this the supplement N-acetylcystine that they spoke about?

[elemental]

As with all things nutritional, you should mix it up. Have some tuna, some salmon, some trout, some chicken, some beef (lean of course), etc. etc.

I have fish, poultry and beef everyday. Variety, its the spice...

[Merc82nd]

Mercury is mainly found in the LARGER Cold water Ocean fish, stick to Salmon and fresh water fish if your concerned about Mercury poisoning. Also, you will notice headaches and such if the amount of Mercury is high in your body. I eat about 1-2 cans of Albacore a week and the rest is either chicken, turkey, salmon or lean red meats.

[wrenelesidil]

The FDA developed it's nutritional guidelines to prevent nutrition related diseases such as scurvy back in the 1800's and has NEVER updated most of them. They are also very much financially backed by the AMA and by Drug Companies whose main focus is on corrective rather than preventative medicine. Therefore, I don't really trust much of what the FDA has to say about what I sould and shouldn't eat. I highly reccommend that anyone who is interested in finding out the truth about nutrients (vitamins and minerals) read a book called "What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You" by Dr. Ray Strand. He outlines how optimizing levels of key nutrients can help to prevent and in some cases correct many dibilitating diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

[John]

doesnt mercury stay in the body and build up over years? like that one pesticide that killed the bald eagles? ( i cant remember its name for the life of me DDT i think) if that is true it doesnt matter how much you eat, over the years you will eventually reach a lethal dose