Omega-3, junk food and the link between violence and what we eat

[Mr. McD]

Research with British and US offenders suggests nutritional deficiencies may play a key role in aggressive bevaviour.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,1924088,00.html

[tanyev]

1. That's it! Republicans aren't getting enough Omega-3s.

[Hosnon]

2. I alternate everyday between tuna for lunch and salmon for dinner...perhaps I'm declawing myself? nt

[donsu]

4. what's your mercury count?

don't know about declawing yourself but you are adding mercury to your body and brain

[Richard D]

6. Really!

That's way too much tuna. I've eliminated (well just about) tuna from my diet because of mercury risk. It's not recommended to eat it more than once a week, and I'd personally say not at all for pregnant women.

Here's the FDA advisory on fish (not copyrighted):

The Mercury Content of Fish
Although fish is an excellent source of high quality protein, healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, and several vitamins and minerals, there are several species of fish which contain high mercury levels and should therefore be avoided. This is especially true regarding infants, young children, and pregnant women, since mercury can cause numerous developmental problems and birth defects. Adults are less susceptible, but mercury in high enough doses can still lead to numerous health problems.

There are two general categories of fish which contain large amounts of mercury – large fish which live a long time, and fish that come from polluted lakes.

The fish which have the highest levels of mercury are shark, swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel (not the small mackerel which come in tins). These should always be avoided by pregnant women, children, and infants, and should probably not be eaten more than once a month by anyone else.

Marlin, snapper, bass, lake trout, white perch, orange roughy, and pickerel also have high levels and should also be avoided by pregnant women, children, and infants. Others should probably limit consumption to once or twice a month.

Tuna, halibut, and grouper have moderate amounts of mercury. Fresh tuna has higher levels than canned tuna. These fish can probably be eaten safely once a week or less by pregnant women and children, and everyone else can probably consume 3 or fewer servings a week safely. Infants and children younger than 4 should avoid fish from this category.

Salmon, canned light tuna, canned sardines, canned Atlantic mackerel, cod, haddock, flounder, pollock, whitefish, herring, ocean perch, and smelt have lower levels of mercury. Pregnant women and children can probably eat 2-3 servings a week safely, and everyone else can probably safely consume 3-6 servings a week. Remember, however, that if you eat from fish that have moderate or high amounts of mercury, you should cut back on those fish with lower amounts. Infants and children younger than 4 should probably avoid fish altogether, although eating fish with the low amounts of mercury once or twice a week is probably fine.

The above list of fish is by no means comprehensive – there are several types of fish which haven’t been tested yet, and other less commonly eaten species which I didn’t mention. At the end of the article I included a list of useful links which provide additional information on the mercury levels in different fish.

One last point I want to address is for all of you who go fishing. Unfortunately, many of the lakes in the United States are polluted with high concentrations of mercury. Therefore, it is wise to check with the local park officials before going fishing to see if the fish you caught are safe for consumption.

[Hosnon]

7. I'm not too much at risk according to that chart:

Tuna ... can probably be eaten ... 3 or fewer servings a week ....

Salmon: ...{E}veryone else can probably safely consume 3-6 servings a week.

Tuna sandwich is my MWF lunch and Salmon is my Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday dinner.

[bloom]

8. You don't say where your "chart" is from.

It might be from the tuna/seafood industry for all we know. It doesn't differentiate between light and albcore tuna and other tuna, for one thing. From the NRDC list - 6 servings of tuna (eating chuch light or skipjack) is the most you should eat - and there are some kinds people should not eat at all.


These give indicators based on weight:

Here is a calculator from the EWG (Environmental Working Group):

http://www.ewg.org/issues/mercury/20031209/calculator.php

And one from the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) - see calculator under "Mercury Guides":

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/tuna.asp

And an "advanced" calculator for people eating multiple types of fish:

http://www.gotmercury.org/


Also:

U.S. Mercury Standard Among Worst in World

http://www.ewg.org/issues/mercury/20030627/index.php

_____________

What about salmon? Salmon has average mercury levels that are not detectable by the FDA. However, some salmon have been found by the FDA to have mercury levels as high as 0.18 ppm - chunk light tuna levels on average. 0.14 parts per million - albacore tuna .357 ppm - Ahi (bigeye) tuna .639 ppm

from: http://www.gotmercury.org/english/advanced.htm (see drop choices for more fish levels)

Of course - not all fish within a certain type are the same - some will have more/some less.

[MADem]

3. Yep, this explains the GOP, all right--the Twinkie Defense!

Seriously, it's an interesting hypothesis:

The UK prison trial at Aylesbury jail showed that when young men there were fed multivitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, the number of violent offences they committed in the prison fell by 37%. Although no one is suggesting that poor diet alone can account for complex social problems, the former chief inspector of prisons Lord Ramsbotham says that he is now "absolutely convinced that there is a direct link between diet and antisocial behaviour, both that bad diet causes bad behaviour and that good diet prevents it."

The Dutch government is currently conducting a large trial to see if nutritional supplements have the same effect on its prison population. And this week, new claims were made that fish oil had improved behaviour and reduced aggression among children with some of the most severe behavioural difficulties in the UK.

Deficiency

For the clinician in charge of the US study, Joseph Hibbeln, the results of his trial are not a miracle, but simply what you might predict if you understand the biochemistry of the brain and the biophysics of the brain cell membrane. His hypothesis is that modern industrialised diets may be changing the very architecture and functioning of the brain.

We are suffering, he believes, from widespread diseases of deficiency. Just as vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, deficiency in the essential fats the brain needs and the nutrients needed to metabolise those fats is causing of a host of mental problems from depression to aggression. Not all experts agree, but if he is right, the consequences are as serious as they could be. The pandemic of violence in western societies may be related to what we eat or fail to eat. Junk food may not only be making us sick, but mad and bad too....

Someone shove a salmon in King George's mouth!

[cpamomfromtexas]

5. I just read Nourishing Traditions and it covers this

The botttom line is this, when Repubs control the government, many - many more shopping carts are filled with ramen noodles at 10 cents a bag, because people cannot afford to shop the gourmet aisles.

[bloom]

9. Fish List - to eat or not to eat:

* Fish in Trouble! These fish are perilously low in numbers or are caught using environmentally destructive methods. To learn more, see the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Institute, both of which provide guides to fish to enjoy or avoid on the basis of environmental factors.

** Farmed Salmon may contain PCB's, chemicals with serious long-term health effects.

HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid eating:
Mackerel (King)
Marlin*
Orange Roughy*
Shark*
Swordfish*
Tilefish*
Tuna
(Bigeye, Ahi)*

HIGH MERCURY
Eat three servings or less per month:
Bluefish
Grouper*
Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf)
Sea Bass (Chilean)*
Tuna (Canned Albacore)
Tuna (Yellowfin)*

MODERATE MERCURY
Eat six servings or less per month:
Bass (Striped, Black)
Carp
Cod (Alaskan)*
Croaker (White Pacific)
Halibut (Atlantic)*
Halibut (Pacific)
Jacksmelt
(Silverside)
Lobster
Mahi Mahi
Monkfish*
Perch (Freshwater)
Sablefish
Skate*
Snapper*
Tuna (Canned
chunk light)
Tuna (Skipjack)*
Weakfish (Sea Trout)

LEAST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish:
Anchovies
Butterfish
Catfish
Clam
Crab (Domestic)
Crawfish/Crayfish
Croaker (Atlantic)
Flounder*
Haddock (Atlantic)*
Hake
Herring
Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
Mullet
Oyster
Perch (Ocean)
Plaice
Pollock
Salmon (Canned)**
Salmon (Fresh)**
Sardine
Scallop*
Shad (American)
Shrimp*
Sole (Pacific)
Squid (Calamari)
Tilapia
Trout (Freshwater)
Whitefish
Whiting

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp

[bloom]

10. I think that was an interesting article/ study.

Of course - it's extreme - when they have the example of the diet with mostly coffee and beer (at the end). There are all sorts of deficiencies there. But having a study where over of third of the people show significant behavioral improvements from Omega-3s is really something. A prison would be just the place for such a study - easy to control everyone's diet and all. Plus lots of people with bad behavior to begin with.