Can Eating Fruit Offset the Toxic Effects of Mercury in Seafood ?

It has been known for decades that fish is a wonderful low-fat source of high quality protein, and that eating it can decrease your risk of heart attack, stroke, obesity and hypertension. Lately, however, there have been concerns that eating too much fish can cause an accumulation of methylmercury, a widely recognized pollutant, in our body's tissues. A recent study revealed some surprising findings that may allow us to have our cake (seafood) and eat it too (less concern about mercury).

First some background - the methylmercury that is found in seafood comes primarily from power plants that burn fossil fuels, like coal. Then after it rains or snows, the contaminant is brought down into our rivers, streams, oceans and lakes. Fish then absorb it from the food chain in these bodies of water. Larger and more long lived fish tend to have the highest levels of methylmercury - examples are king mackerel, shark, swordfish, tilefish and tuna. Note that "Chunk Light" or "Chunk" canned tuna tend to have lower levels of the contaminant.

A recent study appears to indicate that for people who ate fish on a regular basis, the consumption of fruit was directly linked to lowered amounts of methylmercury in the body. And further that the more fruit that was consumed, the lower the level of methylmercury. The underlying mechanism of how the fruit is allowing the body to eliminate the mercury is still not understood, but the relationship seems to be clear. More fruit consumption equals less residual methylmercury in the body, at least in this initial, relatively small, study.

Here are some possible theories as to why. First, it may be that the phytochemicals in fruit are interacting with toxic metals in our bodies - perhaps blocking their absorption, and thus allowing our bodies to more easily excrete them. Second, the soluble fiber in the fruit may be blocking absorption of the toxic metal at the intestinal level.

Please keep in mind that this is a very preliminary study performed on a small group of people. No one is suggesting that we ignore the government's warning to restrict the consumption of certain kinds of fish that tend to have higher levels of methylmercury, especially if you are a pregnant woman, or a woman of childbearing age who may become pregnant, or a nursing mother. It is too early to conclude that fruits can play a role in protecting us from some of the toxic effects of methylmercury. However, we may have gotten an inkling of just one more of the seemingly endless benefits of eating whole fruits and vegetables.

Resources: To read the US government's warning on methylmercury in seafood, visit http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html

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