HowToPreventHeartDisease.com

Would You Eat Tuna Everyday?
 

Being rich in omega-3 fatty acids, tuna fish contains 2 main kinds of omega-3 fatty acids, namely DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid). People who eat foods rich in DHA and EPA will have a lower risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stroke. That is why the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends eating omega-3 rich fish like tuna at least twice weekly.

Suggested intake of omega-3 fatty acid is 500 milligrams per day. Every 3-ounce serving of tuna provides between 230 milligrams and 1,279 milligrams of omega-3, depending on the type of tuna consumed. Light tuna, for instance, contains the least amount of omega-3 fatty acid while tuna steak contains the most.

Unfortunately, fresh and canned tuna do contain methylmercury, a contaminant that builds up in water from both pollution and natural environmental sources of the compound. Tuna might probably contain higher concentration of mercury than other smaller fish that do not live as long and eat different foods.

Thus far, there are no scientific studies indicating healthy adults who eat tuna every day will experience serious health problems, though more research is needed. Nevertheless, report from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicated that mercury intake in women who are pregnant or nursing and in young children has been linked to an increase in the risk of neurological defects.

Both institutions, therefore, recommend that children under 12 years old, women who are pregnant or are trying to become pregnant and nursing mothers eat no more than 12 ounces of canned light tuna or up to 6 ounces of canned albacore tuna or fresh tuna steak weekly. The American Pregnancy Association also advises pregnant women to limit chunk light tuna consumption to no more than 36 ounces per month.

For other healthy adults, according to the FDA, the benefits of eating fish like tuna at least twice a week, limiting to no more than 6 ounces of tuna steak, can outweigh the possible risks of mercury intake. AHA suggests that men can safely consume 14.5 ounces of light tuna per week while women can consume 12.5 ounces per week. But pregnant women are advised to avoid eating tuna.

Research has already shown that fish might lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, cognitive decline, depression, cancer, inflammatory disorders, and asthma. Restricting fish intake could just make one miss out on all those benefits.

Question now is, how to consume without being harmed by the possible mercury poison? According to an article published by Men’s Health, almost all men can eat a can of light tuna 4 times a week. If more tuna or different kinds of tuna are to be consumed, one can follow the following instructions to calculate the weekly limit.

First of all, one can pick the kind of tuna he wants. An average 5-ounce serving (1 can) of light tuna contains 18.11 micrograms of mercury. An average 5-ounce serving (1 can) of albacore tuna contains 49.53 micrograms of mercury, and an average 5-ounce serving of tuna steak or tuna sushi could contain up to 97.49 micrograms.

To derive the mercury dose (in micrograms) per kilogram for a 5-ounce serving, one needs to divide the amount of mercury of the tuna he picked by his weight in kilograms. Then, he has to choose a mercury dose limit from 2 main federal recommendations: EPA (0.1 microgram per kilogram) or FDA (0.3 microgram per kilogram). The EPA’s dose is safe enough for the most vulnerable people, including pregnant women while the FDA’s dose might pose minimal risk. By multiplying by 7, the weekly limit for EPA is 0.7 and that for FDA is 2.1 micrograms per kilogram.

Hence, for a man of 80 kilograms, his weekly limit for eating light tuna is 3 cans (0.7/ (18.11/80)) based on EPA’s recommendation and 9.1 cans (2.1/ (18.11/80)) based on FDA’s.

Copyright 2007-2012 © HowToPreventHeartDisease.com . All Rights Reserved.d........
Created by EpublishingVault.com
Heart Disease Prevention - 8 Simple Ways You Can Do Immediately