Take fish to heart: seafood is good for you, but concerns about mercury in fish mean you must pick wisely - Eating Well

When it comes to your heart, a few servings of fish go a long, long way. But government warnings about high methylmercury levels in some fish have people worried about adding more fish to their diet.

Although rare in the United States, too much methylmercury in a diet can cause nerve damage and blood pressure problems. It can also harm an unborn child's developing nervous system.

On the other hand, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends eating seafood as a way to guard against heart disease. What's a consumer to do?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most fish are safe to eat because they contain methylmercury only in trace amounts, which are not harmful to humans. The species of concern are longer-living larger fish that feed on other fish. These predators can accumulate high levels of mercury through their own diet and pose the greatest risk. Mercury occurs naturally in the environment, but turns into the more toxic methylmercury in the ocean.

Fish lovers should dine only once a week on swordfish, shark, tilefish, and king mackerel, which contain the highest levels of mercury. Young children, women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or who are breastfeeding should avoid these fish altogether. Those women and young children also should limit their intake of lower-mercury seafood to 12 ounces per week. Tuna steak also can contain high levels of mercury, but not as high as those fish listed above. (See story on page 250 for more on tuna.)

Seafood lower in methylmercury and considered safe to eat include clams, cod, crab, flounder, haddock, halibut, herring, lobster, mahi-mahi, oysters, scallops, shrimp, canned tuna and other canned fish, whitefish, and farm-raised fish. Check with state or local health departments for warnings on fish caught in local waters.

Don't avoid fish because of the mercury issue. Medical experts still highly recommend making fish a regular part of your diet because the oil in fish, called omega-3 fatty acids, has multiple heart-healthy benefits: lowering blood pressure, reducing fat levels in blood, and helping to prevent sudden cardiac death.

" Of all the things you can eat, there is probably no dietary component that has a greater impact on reducing death than the omega-3 fatty acids," says William Harris, Ph.D., an omega-3 researcher from the Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City and coauthor of the AHA's new guidelines on omega-3s.

The AHA recommends two 3-ounce servings of cooked fish a week. "This doesn't mean to go out and get a huge platter of deep-fried fish," says Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University and the lead author of the AHA's omega-3 dietary recommendations.

Fatty fish is best--fresh, frozen, or canned, she says. Salmon, albacore tuna, lake trout, mackerel, herring, and sardines contain lots of omega-3s.

Last fall, for the first time ever, the AHA recommended fish oil supplements for people with diagnosed heart disease. Fatty fish is still the best way to get these oils, but an alternative is 1 gram of the omega-3s called eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) in capsule form each day. Talk to your doctor first. People with a high triglyceride or blood-fat level, may benefit from 2 to 4 grams of EPA and DHA a day under a doctor's care.

THE TUNA CHOICE: CANNED OR FRESH?

Believe it or not, canned is better. The tuna used for canning is typically younger than the tuna sold in the fresh and frozen market and has not accumulated high levels of mercury in their bodies.

Also, canned tuna is often composed of smaller species of tuna, such as albacore and skipjack, both of which have lower levels of mercury. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that tuna lovers eat white albacore tuna because it's from smaller fish and contains minimal traces of mercury.

Be sure to buy water-packed tuna rather than the type packed in oil. The oil used to preserve canned tuna extracts all the good fatty acids, says longtime fish oil researcher Alexander Leaf, M.D., professor emeritus of clinical medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Lime-Sauce Seafood

START TO FINISH: 30 MINUTES

1 lb. sea scallops, skinless salmon fillet, whitefish fillet, or

mahi-mahi fillet

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1/4 cup orange marmalade

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 cups sliced bok choy or Chinese cabbage

1/2 cup coarsely shredded carrot

1 lime, cut into wedges

1. If using scallops, in a plastic bag combine flour and

pepper. Add scallops; toss to coat. If using fish, cut into

4 serving-size portions; sprinkle with pepper (omit flour).

2. In a large skillet heat butter. Add scallops or fish. Cook

scallops 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. (Cook

fish pieces 4 to 6 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily

with a fork.) Remove from skillet with slotted spatula,

reserving drippings in skillet.

3. Add orange marmalade, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger,

and cayenne pepper to skillet; heat through. Remove from

heat. Add bok choy and carrots to skillet. Toss to coat. Serve

with scallops and lime wedges. Makes 4 servings.

EACH SERVING: 250 cal., 7 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 54 mg

chol., 864 mg sodium, 25 g carbo., 3 g fiber, 23 g pro. Daily

Values: 180% vit. A, 88% vit. C, 20% calcium, 14% iron.