How Heavy metals in seafood These 4 kinds of seafood are delicious

But excessive consumption of heavy metals is harmful to health

It is often heard: More fish is good for your health Eat less meat.

Public generally believe the fishs & seafood are healthy than red meat. However, water pollution is serious nowadays, and the content of heavy metals is alarming. Once fish absorbs heavy metals, they will remain in the body. Eat small fish, as the food chain accumulates more and more heavy metals. After eating fish and other high-risk aquatic products containing heavy metals, the public may consume excessive amounts of heavy metals at any time.

Seafood is one of  healthy food you can eat because it's great source of protein micronutrients and healthily fats. 

However, some types of fish and shellfish can contain high levels of toxic metals which has been linked to serious health problems.

The The Hong Kong media’s New Holiday and Dongwang reports pointed out that the more fat fish and aquatic products are, the higher the chance of containing heavy metals, which can damage the liver and kidneys, and increase the risk of heavy metal poisoning. Be careful you not eat too much. In addition, because heavy metals will accumulate in fat, fish fat should be avoided to reduce the chance of intake of heavy metals. The Hong Kong Consumer Council has reported that some chain sushi restaurants use heavy metal seafood to make sashimi.

Eating a seafood meal is a beautiful thing, but if you eat seafood that contains heavy metals, you will be very happy. Pay attention to the following advice from nutritionists and identify which are high-risk seafood. 

1. Tuna (tuna) contains mercury: 

Commonly known as mercury, it is mostly found in larger predatory fish, such as sharks, golden bream, tuna, etc. Mercury is divided into three forms: mercury metal (element), inorganic mercury and organic mercury. Methyl mercury is the most common form of organic mercury and the most toxic form of mercury, which can damage the human nervous system. Mercury can cause nervous system poisoning. Symptoms such as blurred or blind peripheral vision and uncoordinated movements. 

A large amount of methylmercury can affect the development of the nervous system of the fetus, and can also cause a decline in the intelligence of young children. Predatory fish (including tuna) generally contain high levels of mercury, and women of childbearing age should avoid eating these fish. If you really want to eat tuna, you can choose canned tuna, because canned tuna uses smaller tuna, but pregnant women should still not eat more than 140 grams of canned tuna three times a week .

2. Dried squid shreds contain arsenic:

 It is a chronic toxic substance. When it exists in the groundwater in excess, it will not only make the groundwater undrinkable, but also cause adverse effects on the environment and ecology. If excessive arsenic compounds cannot be excreted through metabolism and accumulate in the organism, it will cause harm to the organism. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) listed arsenic and inorganic arsenic as identified human carcinogens (Group 1) in 1987, confirming that arsenic exposure is closely related to bladder cancer, skin cancer, and kidney cancer.

Squid shreds contain arsenic. After seafood is dried, there is a chance that the concentration of heavy metals will increase. Excessive intake of arsenic may affect health, such as skin diseases, nerve damage, skin cancer and vascular disease. It is recommended not to eat more than 3 times a week to help reduce the risk.

3. Scallops contain cadmium

 The World Health Organization (WHO) considers cadmium to be one of the 10 chemicals that cause major public health concerns. Seafood such as scallops and scallops are filter-feeding animals, and pollutants such as heavy metals tend to accumulate in the internal organs. 

Long-term excessive intake of cadmium can cause chronic poisoning or irreversible renal dysfunction. The Hong Kong Center for Food Safety recommends avoiding excessive consumption of shellfish and aquatic products. Before cooking scallops and scallops, the internal organs should be removed and only the adductor muscle should be consumed.

4.  Oysters / oysters contain lead and cadmium lead.

: it can affect the central nervous system, especially the development of children's nervous system, and affect IQ. Long-term intake of lead in adults may cause damage to the reproductive system, immune system and kidneys.

 Since oysters are often eaten with internal organs, the risk of ingesting heavy metals is higher; while oysters have a higher lead concentration after being dried, but they are still below the upper limit, as long as they are not often consumed.

Dragon bark, steamed grouper, sharks and other large deep-sea fish are big fish. They eat a lot of small fish for their livelihood, and they also consume a lot of heavy metals.

Dragon bark, steamed grouper, sharks and other large deep-sea fish are big fish. They eat a lot of small fish for their livelihood, and they also consume a lot of heavy metals.

Why are the seafood of big fish and shellfish especially prone to heavy metals? 

There are two main sources of heavy metals: some are naturally occurring; some are because seafood grows in contaminated water sources, thus absorbing metal pollutants. 

When the micro organisms in the sea absorb the heavy metals in the sea, and the fish eat these contaminated micro organisms, the heavy metals will slowly accumulate in the food chain. Therefore, the larger the predatory fish, the more they have the chance to accumulate more heavy metals in the body. . Shellfish seafood is like a filter, and it is more likely to contain heavy metals.

Although heavy metals cannot be completely eliminated by washing or cooking, some heavy metals may be washed away during the process, so raw food should be avoided.

Tung Cai Jian of the Hong Kong Medical Association pointed out that because rivers and oceans are polluted by industrial waste, when people eat fresh river or seafood with heavy metals exceeding the standard, heavy metals will accumulate in the body and will not be eliminated for no reason. Long-term accumulation will form chronic poisoning, especially liver damage. , Kidney, brain and other organs. 

"If the intake is not large, it is generally not acutely poisoned, but if you eat every day, it may accumulate to the poisoning level after ten or eight years, and the health problems of liver and kidney failure will occur.

The disease comes from the mouth, I believe this sentence Everyone is familiar with it, and many diseases are related to diet. If you get substances that are unfavorable to human health during your diet, it may increase your body's burden and the incidence of certain cancers will also increase. 

Therefore, we should maintain good eating habits and stay away from foods that are harmful to our health, so that we can maintain a good body.