
Sushi gets a dangerous aftertaste. Several years ago, a Columbia University study found that bluefin and bigeye tuna had a particularly high exposure to mercury. Exactly these varieties are preferred in sushi restaurants from New York to Vienna.
Mercury in Sushi: Especially women of childbearing age at risk
Therefore, if you have deleted the tuna sushi from the menu and prefer to resort to salmon, swordfish or butterfish maki: There is bad news. Because a new study (the largest of its kind) examined the mercury exposure in 25 countries. The shocking result: Especially women of childbearing age between 18 and 44 years were contaminated with too high a level of heavy metals. The neurotoxin can not only cause neurological damage such as headaches, insomnia or even psychosis – too much stress but especially affects the development of the fetus. The unborn child is threatened with brain damage and disability. The toxic concentration was detected from Alaska via Indonesia to Kenya; The highest levels of exposure were experienced by women in the Pacific Islands, where the waste products from gold mines are discharged directly into the sea, where they are ingested by the fish. The study authors from Ipen, an association of different NGOs in the area of ​​environmental pollution: "High-fat, full-bodied fish contains a particularly high proportion of pollutants, especially for women and their unborn children a frequent consumption of raw fish is a real danger."
How much sushi is healthy?
Of course we do not eat a few kilos of sushi every month. However, according to the US Food & Drug Administration, women of childbearing potential should restrict the consumption of tuna, swordfish, salmon, shark, eel and marlin. Pregnant women and breastfeeding even completely abstain.