The benefits and harms of tuna

                 The benefits and harms of tuna

Tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the family Thunini, a subgroup of the family Scombridae, which also includes mackerel, and it consists of 15 species that vary greatly in size.

Tuna is widely eaten, and often canned tuna. In Australia, canned tuna was initially produced in 1903 and soon gained popularity. 

Canned tuna is available either solid or cut and packed in edible oils or brine, however, you prefer Tuna packed in olive oil

Health Benefits of Eating Tuna Fish

 Niacin keeps the digestive system, skin, and nerves healthy.

Vitamin B12 helps form red blood cells, converting the food we eat into usable energy.

Selenium has antioxidant properties, protecting red blood cells from free radical damage.

Omega-3 fatty acids support brain health, promote proper growth, and reduce inflammation in the body, which can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.

 Omega-3 fatty acids have also been linked to lowering high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It also helps treat some mental disorders such as depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

An American study involving more than 15,000 men and women showed that eating a mixture of canned tuna and oily fish such as salmon twice a week contributes to reducing the risk of heart and blood vessel diseases, especially atrial fibrillation, which causes irregular electrical impulses within the heart

 Damages and Cautions of Eating Tuna

 Mercury Pollution

Despite the high nutritional value of tuna, canned tuna is often the most common source of mercury in the diet.

Damages from exposure to mercury

The World Health Organization considers mercury one of the chemicals of great concern in the field of public health, as mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, as well as the internal organs lungs, kidneys, skin, and eyes, and may all be affected.

Exposure to mercury - even in small quantities - may result in suffering from serious health problems, and constitute a threat to the development of the child inside his mother's womb, and in the early stages of his life, so in 2014 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidelines recommending that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children limit of their tuna intake, and the guidelines recommend not eating more than 170 grams of light tuna per week.

How do you choose tuna that is less contaminated?

All types of tuna show some level of mercury contamination, but small tuna has lower mercury levels than large tuna, and if there are actual data on mercury, tuna with mercury levels of 100 ppm can be considered less "low" in mercury, and tuna with mercury levels of 500 ppm or more than "higher" in mercury.

There is a general rule that "canned light tuna", which is relatively small in sizes from tuna such as skipjack and tool, is less in the accumulation of mercury inside its tissues than large-sized tuna fish such as yellowfin tuna, and this type is known As "black meat", it is a lower grade in canning because of the unfavourable color and flavor due to the high mercury content.

Since tuna is often extracted far from where it is prepared for the canning process, temporary improper preservation can lead to spoilage; However, some tuna manufacturers may package these damaged fish to preserve their financial gains without taking into account the health problems that the consumer, especially children, may be exposed to from eating this spoiled tuna.

Harms of the cooking process

Also, during the preparation of tuna for canning, whole fish are often steamed for hours. During this process, a watery liquid (called cooking juice) is formed, which is disposed of as waste but may be used by manufacturers.

 Tuna is a solution for canned tuna instead of oil, and this may accelerate its spoilage as well.

What do you do to choose the best type of tuna?

Therefore, when buying tuna, it is recommended that it be from a reliable source that takes into account food safety conditions, and tuna with the distinctive red meat color of tuna is chosen.

It is also recommended when eating tuna to also eat foods and vegetables rich in calcium, iron, and beta-carotene because these elements reduce the accumulation of mercury inside the body.**