Tag: Mercury

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Selenium Protects Against Methylmercury in Fish

The health benefits of eating fish outweigh the health risks. This is especially true when we have sufficient dietary selenium intake and sufficient selenium status to 1) give a protective effect against methylmercury and 2) serve other biological purposes [Jorge 2024].

Salmon dinner contains selenium
Fatty fish such as herring, mackerel, and salmon are especially good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, selenium, and vitamin D. Eating fatty fish regularly may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke and enhance brain health.

To varying degrees, all fish contain some mercury. The mercury in fish and seafood is primarily in the form of methylmercury. Unchecked, the methylmercury targets the nervous system. It disrupts cellular processes. Too much exposure can lead to a loss of muscular coordination and to a loss in cognitive function. Accordingly, the presence of mercury could be a health risk for people who eat fish regularly [Jorge 2024].

Fortunately, many edible fish contain selenium in molar concentrations adequate to sequester the methylmercury in the fish and to render it less harmful. Ralston & Raymond have developed criteria for the calculation of selenium health based values. The calculations are based on the relative molar concentrations of mercury and selenium in various types of fish [Ralston 2016]. read more

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Selenium and Toxic Metals and the Ageing Kidney

In individuals older than 50-60 years, the kidneys’ glomerular filtration rate decreases with increasing age. The glomerular filtration rate is a measure of how well your kidneys are working. In your kidneys, there are tiny filters (called glomeruli) that remove waste and excess fluid from the blood.

Jan Aaseth
Jan Aaseth is a Norwegian physician and professor who has done extensive research in endocrinology, toxicology, and medical biochemistry. Here we summarize his review of the relationship between selenium status, heavy metal toxicity, and the kidneys.

Exposure to toxic metals – mercury, cadmium, lead – can be detrimental to kidneys of normal adults. Accordingly, exposure to toxic metals can affect individuals with reduced glomerular filtration rates even more adversely.

Professor Jan Aaseth and a team of researchers have reviewed the available research data. Their findings show the following relationships [Aaseth 2021]:

Elderly Individuals More Susceptible to Toxic Metal Exposure

Healthy elderly individuals are capable, for the most part, of maintaining normal kidney function. However, especially after the age of 70 years, physiological changes occur in the kidneys. read more