Posted by Larry Hoover on August 4, 2003, at 8:10:55
In reply to Any supplements to prevent mercury toxicity?, posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 4, 2003, at 7:33:53
> Okay, I have a problem... I *love* canned tuna, lol. I'm on the Atkins diet, and I alternate pink salmon and tuna for lunch each day... but I of course worry about the possibility of mercury toxicity from the tuna. Is there anything out there that can help to protect me from that? Or do I have to cut back on my beloved tuna? lol
No need to cut back. The answer is.....selenium. Selenium reacts with mercury to form a dimer. The product of this reaction has virtually zero solubility (Ksp something like 10 to the -70). the solubility is so low it can't be measured directly.
One thing you should know about the "mercury in fish" issue is that just because a fish may be high in mercury does not mean it is free mercury; fish are also high in selenium. Standard analyses for mercury in fish are unable to distinguish between bound (e.g. Se-Hg, the selenium-mercury dimer) and free mercury. So, the amount of mercury is, in a sense, always artificially high.
Now, given the fact that mercury does major damage to neurons, and selenium is a major antioxidant for neurons, you don't want all your selenium getting used up by free mercury.
If you're eating substantial amounts I fish (I do), and you also have amalgam fillings in your teeth (I do), you should be ensuring that your selenium intake is supplemented. You can argue about selenium toxicity, if you want, but mercury toxicity is worse. There is no known physiologicial benefit from mercury exposure, but as I said, selenium is a very important nutrient.
I'd go with 100-200 mcg selenium per day. Selenium yeast is an excellent source.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:247963
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030802/msgs/247973.html