3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Worry About The Mercury Levels in Fish

Hannah Healy

By Hannah Healy

Updated March 1, 2023

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Mercury levels in fish…you hear about it all the time. Why it’s dangerous, why you have to find fish with the lowest mercury levels, but I don’t worry about it and I’ll explain why you shouldn’t either in this article.

mercury levels in fish

I was worried about mercury levels in fish and avoided it for a long time, so I understand why you would. Mercury poisoning is a serious and scary thing. However, after looking at the scientific research out there, it’s clear that the mercury levels in fish are no reason not to eat it. Read below to learn why.

1. Selenium Protects Against Mercury Levels in Fish

Selenium is a mineral that protects the brain. When selenium encounters mercury, they bind irreversibly, which means that mercury can not then be not absorbed by the body .

Selenium has high binding affinity for mercury. This means that when the two elements are found together, they connect, forming a new substance.

This new substance makes it hard for the body to absorb the mercury separately. Simply put, when selenium binds to mercury, mercury is no longer free to bind to anything else – like brain tissue.” -Chris Kresser

Because fish and seafood is rich in selenium, that mineral binds to mercury so that it can not be absorbed by your body and therefore can not cause damage.

2. Fish That Contain Higher Levels of Selenium than Mercury are Safe to Consume

If a fish contains more selenium than mercury, then it is safe to eat since the selenium will bind to the mercury and keep it from being absorbed by your body.

The great thing is that most fish consumed by people have higher levels of selenium than mercury, making them perfectly safe to eat.

Fish types with more selenium than mercury include tuna (all types), anchovy, sea bass, shellfish (oysters, mussels, clams, etc.), squid, octopus, cod, sole, wahoo, mahi mahi, salmon, spearfish, hake, red snapper, scallops, grouper, and many more.

In fact, the few unsafe sea foods that do not have more selenium than mercury are limited and include:

  • Swordfish
  • Pilot Whale
  • Shark
  • King mackerel
  • Gilt-head Bream
  • Red Mullet
  • Tilefish

The FDA and EPA have even updated recommendations for fish consumption based on this information and now recommend that pregnant women should not avoid fish since it provides important nutrients for growing babies.

The draft updated advice recommends pregnant women eat at least 8 ounces and up to 12 ounces (2-3 servings) per week of a variety of fish that are lower in mercury to support fetal growth and development…..The draft updated advice cautions pregnant or breastfeeding women to avoid four types of fish that are associated with high mercury levels: tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico; shark; swordfish; and king mackerel.”

3. The Health Benefits of Fish Are Greater Than The Risks

Fish is one of the best sources of DHA and EPA, which are omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for regulating inflammation, improving brain health and cardiovascular health.

Fish is a great source of easy to digest bioavailable protein as well as iodine which promotes good health. According to a 2006 study, fish intake may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease—the top cause of death in the United States.

Modest consumption of fish (eg, 1-2 servings/wk), especially species higher in the n-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), reduces risk of coronary death by 36%….and total mortality by 17%…. and may favorably affect other clinical outcomes.”

The Role of Dioxins & PCBs

Dioxins and PCBs are synthetic waste products that pollute our waters and have been shown to be carcinogenic, meaning that they may cause cancer. It’s only natural that you should be concerned about them and try to avoid them. However, avoiding seafood because of water pollution is not necessary.

Seafood is not the top source of Dioxin & PCB contamination. Conventionally raised beef, chicken, pork (34%) dairy (30%) and even vegetables (22%) are the top sources of these contaminants. Fish only constitutes 9% of these contaminants.

Concerned About Fukushima Radiation?

If you’re concerned about radiation from fukushima I highly suggest reading this article from Chris Kresser. He lists many sources and scientific research that it is not something to be worried about. In it he states,

 A typical restaurant-sized portion of Pacific bluefin tuna (200 grams, or 7 ounces) contains about 5% of the radiation you would get from eating one uncontaminated banana and absorbing it’s naturally occurring radiation. All foods on the planet contain radiation. Like every other toxin, it’s the dose of radiation (rather than its simple presence) that determines whether it’s toxic to humans….

…according to Dr. Robert Emery at at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston says you’d need to eat 2.5 to 4 tons of tuna in a year to get a dose of cesium-137 that exceeds health limits…That’s 14 to 22 pounds of tuna a day…

To date, I haven’t seen any credible evidence suggesting that there’s even a minuscule risk from eating fish caught in the Pacific ocean. (Please respond in the comments section if you’re aware of any such evidence). If you read an article on the internet or elsewhere claiming that Fukushima radiation in seafood is causing problems, check to see if it includes references to studies published in peer-reviewed journals by independent researchers. If it doesn’t, I’d advise a healthy dose of skepticism.” –Chris Kresser

Wild fish and seafood is the best option when considering sustainability and health. I like to have wild fish or seafood about 2 times per week, but I know lots of folks like to have it a lot more than that (like 3-4 times per week).

So the takeaway here is EAT SEAFOOD! Because it’s good for you and you don’t have to worry about the mercury levels in fish…that is, unless you happen to be eating a lot of whale and shark meat…

Where to Get Sustainable Wild Fish and Seafood

Locally:

  • Trader Joe’s
  • Costco
  • Whole Foods
  • Your Local Grocery store (usually in the frozen section)
  • Farmer’s markets

Sources:

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Hannah Healy

Hannah Healy is the founder of Healy Eats Real, a health and wellness website that provides healthy recipes and helpful information on wellness. Hannah is the published author of The Ultimate Paleo Cookbook. Her work has been featured on Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Redbook, fitness and MSN.

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19 Comments

  1. If you eat fish in place if meat , drop by a blood test business and get a blood test for mercury.

    I did and my mercury levels were 3x over top limits.

    Stopped eating fish . Did a second test after three months and back to normal range.

    No guessing. Up to you.

    Reply

    1. 5 stars
      I agree, stop eating fish and I also stopped eating all meat and dairy and I feel so much better. I do not feel fatigued or the need for coffee or energy drinks. If you wait for the politicians to do something about the toxins in our meat, you will die first.

      Reply

  3. Buddy that spent a lifetime eating a lot of fish now in bad health and dr.’s say due to all the Mercury he ingested. All these endless studies….. reminds me of so much political FAKE NEWS. We just don’t know what to believe these days.

    Reply

  4. Methylmercury is the dangerous form of mercury as I understand it. Elemental mercury not so much. Is the methylmecury found in fish broken down by humans (unlike the rest of the food chain leading up to the fish itself so that selenium binds to the elemental mercury? Dies selenium bind to methylmercury itself?

    Reply

  5. As much as I love eating fish, there is also another issue that’s not being addressed here about consuming seafood. Read this interview with Sylvia Earle, who is a world renowned marine biologist and pioneering oceanographer, set out to establish ‘Hope Spots’ in the ocean that would work like national parks for protecting marine life. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/world-on-a-plate/2014/sep/18/sylvia-earle-overfishing-seafood-ocean-hope-spots -She remains vocal about her decision not to eat seafood. We are simply over fishing and as she states, “The oxygen that replenishes every breath you take comes from an ocean that is filled with life. It has developed over hundreds of millions of years. It has taken only a few decades [for humans] to disrupt and break those connections. The children of today will be really cross with us if we fail to act on what we know now.” Just food for thought…..

    Reply

  6. Hello, Thanks for the informative article. I have something to add from my experience…
    I’m commenting not to preach that others should not consume fish (as I still do a few times a month) but only to do so with great caution. I am a 35 y/o woman who recently suffered from severe mercury poisoning from eating fish/seafood. I am an educated shopper who consumes ONLY wild caught “safe” seafood (no deep sea or canned tuna, etc) from respected sources. I was eating fish, mussels, and scallops approx 4 times a week. I became ill with numerous aches and serious hormonal/menstrual problems. I tested quiet high for mercury. I didn’t eat seafood/fish for two months and my levels went down. I recommend eating fish with caution and the knowledge that mercury poisoning is a reality and potential problem. Take care!

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Selena, for posting, because until I came to your post, I felt very alone with all the knowledge and research I’ve done. I was starting to think that some of the people behind writing those articles were mercury poisoned to put out such misinformation, and for everyone to blindly celebrate based on these articles is taking a giant leap of hope. I, too, came to this article and wanted so badly to believe that I could just eat any of those fish listed again w/o worry, but it just isn’t so.

      People need to use some common sense and not fall prey to anything our corrupt FDA jumps in to support. After all, they continue to say mercury fillings are safe, when the EPA will shut down a lake if one were to find mercury in the same amount in it.

      I would LOVE to believe that eating fish was so safe, because I love fish, and I miss it so dearly, but I’ve read and researched for over 10 years. This is the first time, I’ve heard anyone say it is so safe because selenium is in it. There are many people, some famous, that have been mercury poisoned from eating the “safe fish” on the list. Go to mercurypoisoned.com to learn more from people who have actually been there.

      I, too, was mercury poisoned ten years ago, severely, from eating the fish they are NOW saying is safe, after Fukishima radiation has occurred – what a joke! I know people who split their time between Hawaii and the mainland, and they know how bad the radiation warnings are, and how the mainland media rarely if ever reports on it. If they did, it would damage the economic system of fisherman everywhere.

      My life has been turned inside out by the mercury poisoning and the way that doctors are unprepared on how to test for it, let alone treat it safely, or the myriad of health problems that occur years later, like thyroid and adrenal damage, heart damage, as well as gut-brain issues.

      Taking selenium supplements is a very good idea to help bind mercury when you do eat fish, as fish would be the greatest thing you could eat regularly, if you could do it safely. I’d stick to the smaller fish like sardines, anchovies and tested wild-caught salmon. But tuna, no way, not on a regular basis. Any fatty fish that lives that long and becomes that big has stored a great amount of toxins beyond high levels of mercury.

      Anyone interested in having a heavy metals test should do an HTMA hair test. Do not let misinformed doctors trick you into testing your blood. Unless you swallowed a mercury thermometer, mercury will not show up in the blood, because mercury moves quickly into being stored into the fatty tissues, e.g., brain, heart, liver, thyroid, etc. Yet, the medical society, backed by FDA and big Pharma, have pushed this useless test on people, giving them false results and no answers as to whether they really have been mercury poisoned.
      It is much more profitable to treat the numerous diseased conditions that mercury poisoning causes, than to remove the mercury and heal you.

      Read up on Andrew Cutler’s information on mercury poisoning and how to treat it, if you have tested for it, because there are a lot of quack doctors who will take advantage of you & your $ and re-cycle the mercury toxins into your brain, because they don’t really know how to get it out of your body SAFELY. A good place to start detoxing is with MSM (sulfur compound) on your own will help, as well as eating a lot of protein (carries mercury out), onions, garlic, brassicas and other sulfur foods as a start.

      Good luck everyone, and always remember there’s a lot of money at stake for different industries, when “said test results” come out. The FDA & Monsanto are in bed since Obama made the head of Monsanto the current head of the FDA. They say Round-up, GMO’s and a host of pesticides which cause the insects guts to rupture are good for you too. Just imagine what that is doing to your own digestive system. They have now found that these insecticides which are labelled “safe” by our government are not only killing the bees, but now our bird population is going down….

      Don’t mean to rain on anyone’s parade. I’m giving you some “Food for Thought” when it comes to the gov’t saying anything is “safe” anymore.

      Reply

      1. Thanks for your comment. I’ll take this into consideration. I do want to point out though, that it’s not only the FDA that suggests that these fish are safe to eat. If you check the sources there are a number of other independently done studies as well.

        I’m sorry that you are struggling with mercury poisoning. I’m wondering if you’ve received any confirmation that your mercury poisoning is in fact a result of fish? I know there are many other sources of mercury that could be to blame like mercury fillings, contaminated water, by way of cosmetic products through the skin and inhalation from emissions from power plants.

        Reply

      2. Thank you for this comment Helen. It was the same thing I was thinking as I read the article. I think everyone should do more research before diving in as if everything is great. Next week, egg Yolks will be bad for us again too….

        Reply

  7. thankx for the info. Now, i have a question regarding if its that bad to eat farm raised fish compared to wild caught? My Dr. insists to only eat wild caught, it can be very expensive if i want to consume wild caught salmon or any other fish around 3 times a week. I read an article saying is better to eat farm raised fish rather than not eating any due to concerns about being farm raised. Any comments/ advice regarding this topic?
    Thank you

    Reply

  9. This article clarifies the above study: https://suppversity.blogspot.com/2012/08/mercury-in-fish-not-harmless-regardless.html

    Reply

    1. Craig, even the author of the article you linked to does not suggest avoiding fish altogether. If you look at his comments he says:

      “oh my,… I did not want to scare anyone away from fish – I mean, let’s be honest, there is probably less mercury in meats and eggs, but what is missing in mercury is replaced with other UNvital stuff.

      stay away from the three worst offenders and don’t eat the TOP 5 (highest mean concentrations) everyday and chances that are you are not going to have a problem – also make sure to have a greater variety (in terms of species, as well as brands) and check if you can find tuna for example that has been independently tested (one item per batch not 1x a year or once ever since the product is on the market), if you insist to eat it every day”

      I agree that one should stay away from the fish with the highest levels of mercury like the ones listed in this article. Eating different varieties of seafood a few times a week is perfectly reasonable. The article that you linked to is mostly saying that you shouldn’t eat the same kind of fish twice a day everyday.

      Reply

  10. This is very timely for me! I’ve been hesitant, especially lately to get fish from Anywhere really! I just happened to reluctantly purchase some wild-caught today, and have seriously had some concerns about the radiation and (of course) the mercury. Thank you for gathering information and putting things in perspective! Great article 🙂

    Reply

  11. Thanks for the great information. I wonder if any of this research took into account the change in the safe radiation levels that the US Government dramatically increased immediately after Fukishima? Or, is it possible that those changes had nothing at all to do with seafood? Thanks so much for you wonderful articles!

    Reply