What Are The Harmful Effects Of Consuming Fish?

Fish is an important part of a balanced diet. It is believed that including fish in the diet can prevent and cure a lot many diseases. That's because it is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids and has good quality proteins. It is also low in saturated fatty acids while being rich in nutrients to improve our heart health. Fish is a powerhouse of nutrition, no doubt. But there are some drawbacks too. Nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee discusses them in an Instagram post. She writes, “Even though fish is known for its health benefits, recent studies show that it also contains heavy metals which it accumulates over a period of time. These accumulate in the oily parts of the fish.” This is a result of the effluent discarded in waterbodies. Large amounts of waste products carelessly thrown into the sea and ocean pollute not just the water bodies but also the fish. Fish consume these waste products and the heavy metals slowly get deposited in their body. 

What are the harmful effects of consuming such fish? Here are a few problems:

1. Often the damage done to healthy cells can affect generations. The risk of cell mutations also increases which can make generations susceptible to genetic abnormalities.

2. Children and pregnant women may be at an increased risk of exposure to excessive mercury from fish. A high dose of mercury affects the unborn foetus and the nervous system of a young child too.

3. This may also increase the risk of diabetes.

So how do we eat fish the right way? Nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee gives us some tips to eat fish correctly so that we are not affected by polluted fish. Here are some tips:

1. Consume fish that is low in mercury, like pomfret and hilsa, 3-4 times a week.

2. Consume fish that are moderate in mercury, like lobster and rohu, maximum 5-6 times a month.

3. Consuming fish with a high mercury content, like tuna and swordfish, is unadvisable. 

Here is the post: