Fish Intake and Mercury

Fish

Fish has long been a part of athletic and other healthy diets
and there are many many reasons for that to be the case. In
no particular order, here are a few:
Fish is a high-quality animal protein which is generally readily
available and (depending on location) fairly inexpensive. As
well, low-fat fish (canned tuna has been a stable for athletes
and bodybuilders for decades) are nearly fat free and, as it
turns out, even the fattier cuts of fish contain a large amount
of healthy fats in the form of the omega- 3 fish oils.
As I mentioned in What are Good Sources of Protein Amino
Acid Profile Part 1, some work has also suggested that the
high taurine content of fish may improve insulin and/or leptin
sensitivity.
All of these factors add up to fish being a good choice of
proteins.
However, at the same time, not all is good in the land of fish.
An issue of some concern has to do with the mercury content
of fish. Mercury, as I imagine most know, is a toxic metal
compound that, when it accumulates in the body, can cause
a lot of problems.
A question that comes up often enough to be worth
addressing is just how much fish can be consumed on a daily
basis to get the benefits of it as a protein source while
avoiding potential issues with mercury.
To address this, Im simply going to excerpt the section on
fish from Chapter 10: Whole Food Protein of The Protein
Book where I examine fish protein and the issue of mercury
content.
As youll see, depending on the type of fish in question,
mercury can range from non-detectable to very low to
exceedingly high. And given the recommendations (at the
end of the article) for daily limits to mercury content, it
becomes clear that while some fish can be consumed in
significant amounts daily, others are limited (e.g. 4-5 oz of
canned tuna per day is about the limit even if bodybuilders
and athletes often eat far more than that) and others exceed
daily intake recommendations by far.

Fish is a high quality protein and many types of fish are

extremely low fat, making it an excellent protein source
choice. There are numerous varieties of fish and, similar to
fowl, fish is appropriate at all times of the day except
immediately around training. Of interest to dieting athletes,
some research has found that fish keeps people fuller
compared to either chicken or red meat (1).
Although fish is often chosen for its low-fat content, even the
higher fat (typically cold water) fish typically contain most of
their fat in the form of the omega-3 fish (w-3) oils. These fats
have a tremendous number of benefits, both for general
health and athletic performance.
The beneficial effects of fish oils are numerous and include
increased fat burning, decreased fat storage, decreased
inflammation, decreased depression, mood stabilization, and
decreased risk of heart disease and blood clots. More
benefits are being found constantly and its not an
exaggeration to say that, if individuals were to take any single
supplement on a daily basis, it should be a fish oil
supplement. Although food scientists are working to increase
the w-3 content of other foods (such as w-3 eggs described
below), fatty fish remain the primary source in the food
supply.
However, counteracting the potential benefits of fish and the
w-3 fatty acids, there is increasing concern over the mercury
content of many types of fish; because of their place in the
food chain, mercury accumulates in the tissue of the fish to
varying degrees.
Chronic mercury exposure could potentially offset the
benefits that fish might provide (1). Because of the potential
health effects of mercury, both the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World
Health Organization (WHO) have set daily and weekly limits
for safe mercury intake. Pregnant women, or women
intending to become pregnant should minimize mercury
intake from fish to avoid the possibility of birth defects.
A list of fish with their mercury concentration (in parts per
million for a 3 oz serving) appears in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Mercury Content (parts per million) per 3 oz. serving

Fish

Mercury Content

Fish

Mercury Content

Whiting

ND

Shad

0.07

Ocean Perch

ND

Whitefish

0.07

Scallops

ND

Pacific Mackerel

0.09

Clams

ND

Cod

0.11

Shrimp

ND

Canned tuna (light)

0.12

Oysters

ND

Perch

0.14

Salmon (fresh)

0.01

Mackerel (Spanish)

0.18

Tilapia

0.01

Monkfish

0.18

Sardine

0.02

Snapper

0.19

Haddock

0.03

Sable

0.22

Crawfish

0.03

Halibut

0.26

Trout

0.03

Saltwater Bass

0.27

Herring

0.04

Bluefish

0.31

Flounder/Sole

0.05

Tuna (canned Albacore)

0.35

Mackerel

0.05

Tuna (fresh)

0.38

Crab

0.06

Marlin

0.49

Pollack

0.06

Orange Roughy

0.54

ND = non detectable levels of mercury

Source: Levenson CW and Axelrad D. Too much of a good thing? Update on fish consumption and mercury
exposure. Nutrition Rev (2006) 64: 139-145.
Lower numbers are better, indicating less mercury per 3 oz serving of fish. On a daily basis, males should stay at the 0.19 level or
less; fish higher than this level can be eaten up to twice per week. Females should stay at a level of 0.14 or less for daily
consumption and can go up to 0.38 twice per week. Orange roughy, a staple of some dieting bodybuilders, is far in excess of
acceptable mercury levels for regular consumption.