Mercury Headlines

A quick note on a new research as mercury in fish is one of the issues that I blog about relatively often and of which I try to stay informed.  A study published in the NEJM is making headlines today and it is the headline (another reason I write this blog) that has me concerned.

Here is the one that I read "No heart risk from mercury in fish, a new study says" 
What the study authors say is that those with higher levels of mercury (as measured from toenail samplings) did not have more heart attack or stroke events than matched controls. 

I believe that seafood/fish is heart healthy because of the anti-inflammatory properties of Omega 3s and I advocate its consumption (when sustainable) but also warn my friends, family and readers about watching which fish they eat.  Certain types have high levels of mercury - from our environment.  The process involves coal fired powerplants which emit mercury into the air.  It gets into the water and into our marine life - where it is transformed into methyl mercury.  Bigger fish, those that eat the most little fish :)), have higher concentrations of the neurotoxin. 

The authors of this study specifically state that fish advisories should remain in effect and that efforts to stop contamination must continue.  But here is the most important thing to say about the results of this study - the people to whom the analysis was applied are NOT you and me.  The study involved about 7000 persons - half were the cases (had an event [heart attack or stroke) and the other half (no event) were controls.  Of this 7000 plus American group, 66% were women and all had more than a high school education  and were in the health care field.  Oh, and they were said to be mostly white.  So if this country consists of mostly white, college educated women in the health care field - then the headline might be more accurate - but there is still a lot of maybe involved. BTW, it is fine if a study involves a homogenous group of persons, the problem is when we apply a standard or a finding that is based on one group of people to a group that is not like them.  Here is the study abstract.