Is too much tuna bad?

angiemartin78

I read that it's the solid white albacore tuna that has the mercury...that if you stick to the chunk light tuna in water, you should be fine.

PrayerofAmity

I go through about 2 cans of tuna a week (1/2 a can 4 days a week). I also eat fresh and canned salmon about once a week. Hell throw in some Tilapia too. I never ate so much fish in my life but since I started getting healthier I seem to crave fish and seafood so often. My freezer also is now well stocked in scallops, shrimp, and mussels lol.

raystark

How big is this can?

I'm assuming it's the standard 6oz can, as I've not seen any other sizes

You've never seen the 3oz cans or 2.6oz pouches? Those are ubiquitous at every supermarket I shop at. A 3oz can is like 80 calories, with 18 grams of protein.

MassiveDelta

I wouldn't worry about it to the point that you ration yourself to a can per week because your afraid your going to sprout an extra arm due to mercury.

this is true too haha!

you are right you wont sprout an extra arm but you might experience sensory impairment (vision, hearing, speech), disturbed sensation and a lack of coordination

superkaiouken

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/FoodbornePathogensContaminants/Methylmercury/ucm115644.htm

Pretty good guideline...compare what FDA sets as high levels to what you desire to eat..moderation is always key

MassiveDelta

http://howmuchfish.org/
i eat around a can everyday. Sometimes 2 cans every other day.

Thats a cool site!

SuperSexyDork

Canned tuna does contain mercury, but according to the FDA it's one of the lower mercury seafood items. Linky: http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115662.htm

And quote:

By following these 3 recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.

Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.

Well, guess I'm screwed then since I pretty much have a serving of some kind of (shell)fish every day. Shrimp, scallops, imitation crab and salmon being the most frequent on my list...

SuperSexyDork

http://howmuchfish.org/
i eat around a can everyday. Sometimes 2 cans every other day.

Thank you for this! Without seafood I would feel so deprived!

chubbachub

I ate a can everyday for months. Sometimes i even ate 2 tins. I'm alive.

TeeDeezy

It's definitely more prevalent in the white albacore. The NRDC guidelines suggest eating white albacore at the rate of every 9 to 10 days for most adults. They suggest Chunk Light only every 3 days.

I guess it's worth mentioning that if you have kids you'll likely poison them if you feed them a can of tuna a day. But, if you're eating it yourself you'll very likely be fine. You can do it with the knowledge that the FDA doesn't think it important enough to put a warning on the can. But, you should also do it knowing you're taking a slight risk as some groups like the NRDC recommend highly against it.

qwertypie

I used to eat a can every day. Did it for about a month. Never had any problems at all. The only residual effect I noticed is that my body had to adjust to not getting as much protein after I lost all the weight I wanted and stopped eating the tuna every day. I'd have days where I was feening for protein and would have to grab the peanut butter or get some beef immediately. I still eat a can at least once a week for lunch. Starkist Select Very Low Sodium is my go to.

Mercury is a cumulative poison. It stays in your body for a long time after you eat it. So you might not feel the effects of it after eating it every day for only a month. But if you eat one can a week for a year or more, the mercury builds up in your system. Not everyone who does this will develop mercury poisoning symptoms, but do you really want to take a chance? You don't need to eat tuna or meat to get enough protein: beans, legumes and nuts will do just fine.

LATeagno

I have eaten up to two cans a day for weeks on end.

I'm alive and I'm fine.

MtnKat

I ate a can everyday for months. Sometimes i even ate 2 tins. I'm alive.

Yea...but look at your head in your pic....you have things sprouting out of it :P

TDGee

I love good tuna!

rhaven15th

It really depends, I heard too much of anything can be bad.
I eat one or two Greek Yogurts a day, that have an excellent source of protein.
I heard people either love the Greek Yogurts or hate 'em.

TeeDeezy

I used to eat a can every day. Did it for about a month. Never had any problems at all. The only residual effect I noticed is that my body had to adjust to not getting as much protein after I lost all the weight I wanted and stopped eating the tuna every day. I'd have days where I was feening for protein and would have to grab the peanut butter or get some beef immediately. I still eat a can at least once a week for lunch. Starkist Select Very Low Sodium is my go to.

Mercury is a cumulative poison. It stays in your body for a long time after you eat it. So you might not feel the effects of it after eating it every day for only a month. But if you eat one can a week for a year or more, the mercury builds up in your system. Not everyone who does this will develop mercury poisoning symptoms, but do you really want to take a chance? You don't need to eat tuna or meat to get enough protein: beans, legumes and nuts will do just fine.

Like I said above. I didn't have any problems and that was well over a year ago. But, I knew the risk and decided it was low enough that I'd do it anyway. So, hopefully the OP can now do the same.

OP: Just because me and a lot of other people here eat/ate a can a day (or more) doesn't necessarily make it a good idea. You'll just have to read up and decide for yourself if you think it's worth the risk.

Here's a link to the NRDC chart.

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/tuna.asp

KittieLea

Well *kitten*, I've been eating about a can every night this week because I made tuna salad.

It's not like you've been ingesting arsenic-injected Marlboro Reds, I think you can relax

This thread is about eating tuna, not ingesting arsenic-injected Marlboro Reds. So are you saying that's bad also?
This is just not my week.

secretlobster

So far the arguments for eating a can of tuna a day include:

-It's not as bad as some other things
-I do it, so how could it be bad?
-At least it's not arsenic/cigarettes

Some really amazing reasoning you people have

TexanThom

I've heard about the mercury nonsense too... I suppose it's not that good for you in the long run.
But neither is eating cheese burgers.
You gotta make a decision somewhere.

I wouldn't worry about it to the point that you ration yourself to a can per week because your afraid your going to sprout an extra arm due to mercury.
But if you are concerned, you could always try working in some grilled chicken or a protein shake instead. I also rinse off my tuna after draining out the excess water- rinses off a little sodium too.

A good, grass fed burger is better for you than a mercury filled tuna sandwich. But I agree with you on the rest.

spawelcz

The warning the FDA released was geared towards women who are pregnant, may become pregnant, nursing, or young children. So I would assume as long as you are not one of those a can of tuna a day is just fine.

http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115662.htm

AddA2UDE

As seen on: http://howmuchfish.org/

canned Albacore Tuna
Good news! An eight-ounceserving of canned Albacore Tuna is low in calories and loaded with these essential nutrients. (For nutrients other than omega-3s, “RDI” numbers represent the USDA’s Reference Daily Intake):

Omega-3s (EPA+DHA): 1.95 g (391.2% of daily need*)
Protein: 53.60 g (107.2% of RDI)
Vitamin B12: 2.40 mcg (44.0%)
Potassium: 536.00 mg (15.2%)
Selenium: 148.80 mcg (270.4%)
Iron: 2.16 mg (12.0%)
Fat: 6.72 g
Sodium: 853.36 mg
Calories: 291 (canned)

Hypothetical concern:

Health problems associated with mercury in commercial fish are theoretical, and highly unlikely unless your weekly intake of canned Albacore Tuna is more than:

80 ounces (16 5-oz. cans).

sources: USDA, EPA, FDA. (*Omega-3 “daily need” from the Int’l Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids)

taylor5877

For men, it's probably not much of a problem to eat 1-2 cans per day or albacore tuna.

The reason it's such an issue with women is how slowly methyl mercury is eliminated.

It also readily crosses the placenta, so if you do get pregnant even small amounts of methyl mercury can have developmental effects. It's more likely in susceptible individuals, but have you ever been screened for susceptibility (don't think such a test exists, that was rhetorical).

For this reason, the FDA has to set the warning where they do. If you are not pregnant or breast feeding and don't think there's a chance you could get pregnant, then you can probably consume as much as men and be fine. Any overt toxicity isn't likely in a healthy adult even if you ate it every day.

Reading about the disaster in Minimata Bay Japan might be interesting to those who haven't heard of it. Scientists learned much of what we know of methyl mercury effects from this.


Signed,
Taylor5877, PhD Toxicology.

taylor5877

FWIW, I bought 7 cans for snacks at the office today...

Oh, and you can eat chunk light tuna which contains far less mercury.

paulvt65

I eat a can a day as well and have seen no ill effects. But as a result of the mercury I tell the temperature accurate to a tenth of a degree!

Yellabutterfly05

Got any good recipes for tuna? I'm new to low fat healthy cooking and could use some suggestions. Thanks!

cohophysh

I've heard about the mercury nonsense too... I suppose it's not that good for you in the long run.

I'm sorry. Nonsense? So because you don't like the way something sounds it's just nonsense now? :noway:

Have you ever heard of bio accumulation?

http://www.lvrj.com/news/study_-mercury-in-canned-tuna-high-83006612.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2007/02/19/tuna-testing.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/heart-healthy-tuna-is-good-until-you-get-mercury-poisoning/article4190583/

Mercury is extremely high in large ocean fish like tuna. You are not supposed to exceed 3 CANS A WEEK. Especially if you are a woman and especially if you are of child bearing age.

Switch to salmon, it is not nearly as bad.


I do not get this site. Do you people never read/watch the news/been in a science class?

^^^THIS X 10

MonkeyBars

I love my tuna, but I was concerned with eating "too much", so I switched a few things about and also included sardines

http://www.livestrong.com/article/550938-health-risks-of-eating-sardines/

FrenchMob

I wouldn't worry about it to the point that you ration yourself to a can per week because your afraid your going to sprout an extra arm due to mercury.

this is true too haha!

you are right you wont sprout an extra arm but you might experience sensory impairment (vision, hearing, speech), disturbed sensation and a lack of coordination

I get that after a 12 pack of Bud also. :drinker:

butterfli7o

Dammit, I want a tuna melt now...

raystark

Dammit, I want a tuna melt now...

Yup