Everyone's talking about mercury in fish … but should we really stop eating it? Nutrition biologist Simone Gabrielli explains why some fish accumulate more methylmercury than others, who needs to be more careful, and which varieties are safe to eat. Anchovies, mackerel, sardines, hake, and trout: nutrient-rich, safe, and often affordable fish. Fish remains a health ally, if chosen and consumed wisely.
Why Is Mercury Bad For Us?
Mercury exists in the seas. In particular, the form that concerns us most is methylmercury, a molecule that derives mainly from environmental pollution. Methylmercury enters the food chain and bioaccumulates in the tissues of fish —especially large predators like tuna, swordfish, or sharks —that feed on other fish, accumulating more and more methylmercury over time.
Methylmercury is neurotoxic, meaning it can damage the nervous system, especially in developing fetuses and young children. But be careful: this doesn't mean every slice of tuna is poison. Commercially available fish is monitored. Before ending up on shelves or in your kitchen, it is subjected to legal limits and health checks. Mercury limits are set at the European level and are not exceeded in commercial products. But there are sensitive groups that need to be a little more careful, for example:
- Small children
- Pregnant women
- Frail people or people with kidney/liver diseases
For them, it's recommended to avoid large fish more than once a week. For everyone else… don't panic.
Which Fish to Choose?
The fish to be preferred are also those richest in omega-3 and, often, also the cheapest:
- Anchovies
- Mackerel
- Sardine
- Hake
- Trout
All of these are very unlikely to contain mercury, but they contain many good nutrients: high-biological-value proteins, iodine, vitamin D, unsaturated fats. And if you're wondering: yes, frozen fish is fine too.
And here comes the real paradox: while we worry about mercury, we don't eat enough fish. The guidelines recommend eating 2-3 servings a week. But what? We only eat canned tuna when we're on a diet. Anchovies, sardines, blue fish… we ignore them. And they're the best. Another thing we completely ignore is other types of seafood, such as mollusks and crustaceans —that is, clams, mussels, shrimp, octopus, cuttlefish, and so on. These also fall within the recommended 2-3 servings.
In Conclusion
Yes, mercury exists in the seas, but the fish you find commercially is controlled. If you vary the type of fish you eat and avoid overdoing it with predatory fish, the benefits far outweigh the risks.
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