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Fish head heavy metal is 15 times that of fish meat?

 Last Update: 2021-06-28
 Source: Internet
 Author: User

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Ruan Guangfeng

Fish meat is often referred to as "white meat" in nutrition, and everyone thinks it is relatively healthy
.
In addition to eating fish meat, fish heads are also popular.
Chopped pepper fish head, fish head tofu pot, and fish head puff are all favorites
.
However, people who like to eat fish head often hear a saying that fish head contains more heavy metals, 15 times that of fish meat, and it is best not to eat it
.
Do fish heads really contain a lot of heavy metals? Do you really want to say goodbye to Yutou? Today we are talking about fish head
.

Fish head tofu in clay pot, do you want to eat it?

1.
Fish head is 15 times as heavy as fish meat? But it did not exceed the standard!

It is not groundless to say that the heavy metal of fish head is 15 times that of fish meat and 20 times that of fish roe
.
But everyone, don't be confused by this 15 times
.
In fact, none of them exceeded the standard
.

This statement first came from an experiment conducted by the Nanjing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
.
They tested commercially available crucian carp.
The experimenters selected common crucian carp, which weighed 400 grams, 350 grams, 200 grams, and 100 grams, respectively, and determined the mercury content of fish meat, fish skin, fish brain, and fish roe
.
The results showed that fish heads had the highest mercury content, followed by fish skin and meat, and fish roe was the lowest
.
Taking 400 grams of crucian carp as an example, the brain mercury content of fish reached 0.
36 mg/kg, which is 20 times that of fish roe, 15 times that of fish meat, and 6 times that of fish skin
.

Does this mean that fish heads really cannot be eaten? In fact, when disseminating information, everyone has overlooked several important facts
.
First of all, only a few crucian carp were detected in this experiment.
Even if the data is accurate, it is not applicable to all fish
.

In fact, because of the influence of the breeding environment, fish will inevitably accumulate some heavy metals.
The mercury content in different fishes varies greatly.
The low is only a few micrograms per kilogram, and the high is more than 1,000 micrograms per kilogram.
The type and growth of fish Conditions and the length of the growth period will have an impact, and these effects cannot be ignored because of this experiment
.

Secondly, the results of the test in this experiment, regardless of fish head, fish roe, big fish, small fish, the detected mercury residues are less than the national standard limit
.

Even for fish heads, the mercury content determined in this experiment is 0.
36 mg/kg, which is lower than the national standard of 0.
5 mg/kg.
It is safe to eat normally
.
In addition, the edible part of fish head is relatively small after all, and people eat fish head less frequently than fish meat
.
Even if the unit mercury content is really more than fish meat, fish meat is still the main source of mercury intake
.
Even if you are worried, shouldn't you stop eating fish meat for now
? Therefore, there is no need to reluctantly give up on the fish head
.

2.
Can fish head still be eaten?

Take everyone’s favorite chopped pepper fish head as an example
.
Chopped pepper fish head is usually made of fathead fish, which is bighead carp
.
Generally speaking, heavy metals are easier to accumulate in the gills and internal organs (liver, pancreas, etc.
) of fish
.
Studies have conducted research on the heavy metal content in different tissues of silver carp and bighead carp in East Dongting Lake and found that fish meat and fish brain have a weaker affinity for heavy metals than fish gills and liver
.
Moreover, the content of all heavy metals is lower than the limit value of China's national and industry standards
.

Tests on the heads of bighead carp, salmon and tuna revealed that their heavy metal residues (lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and chromium) did not exceed the national limit standards
.
In general, the fish head is not as scary as everyone thinks, and you can still eat it with confidence
.

3.
What nutrition does fish head have?

In fact, the nutritional value of fish head is also good, it is still edible
.
Studies have tested three types of fish heads: fathead fish, salmon and tuna, and found that the meat of these three fish heads contains abundance.

Rich in unsaturated fatty acids, accounting for 61.
30%~82.
40% of the total fatty acid content, and the three fish heads are rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), especially tuna heads EPA and DHA content accounted for 37.
79% of total fatty acids
.
In addition, the three fish heads are also rich in protein, which can be used as a high-quality protein source
.
In addition, fish heads are also rich in minerals, such as K, Fe and Zn
.
Therefore, from a health perspective, fish heads are also edible
.

4.
How to eat fish head healthily?

Although fish will inevitably accumulate heavy metals, both the WHO and the latest edition of the dietary guidelines of the United States point out that although pollutants may bring risks, eating fish is still more beneficial than harmful to health
.

For this reason, the U.
S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that adults eat 8-12 ounces (approximately 220-340 grams) of low-mercury fish a week; the Chinese Dietary Guidelines also recommend eating fish 2 to 3 times a week, Eat 280~525 grams of fish every week
.
Fish head is a part of fish and it is also edible
.

How to eat fish head healthy? Suggest:

1.
Eat in moderation, not too much
.

Whether it is safe or not depends on how much we eat
.
Although it is easy to accumulate heavy metals in fish head and other aquatic products, as long as the consumption is controlled reasonably, there is no need to worry too much about safety issues
.
For example, the residents' diet pagoda in China recommends eating 40~75 grams of fish and shrimp a day, and 280~525 grams of fish a week
.
If you eat fish head, eat it in accordance with this recommended amount
.

2.
Try not to eat large carnivorous fish such as square-headed fish, sharks, swordfish, and swordfish
.

The higher the level of the fish in the food chain, the easier it is to accumulate mercury.
It is better to eat less
.
According to the recommendations of the US FDA, eat less mackerel, bigeye tuna, square head fish (Gulf of Mexico), swordfish, marlin, shark, and New Zealand red fish
.
Because these fish tend to accumulate heavy metal mercury
.

3.
Don't eat fish heads from unknown sources
.

Many people claim that wild aquatic products are safer, but this is not necessarily true
.
Since the pollution level of the wild environment is not clear, the aquatic products in these places often have a higher safety risk, so be careful to eat the heads of any wild fish of unknown origin
.

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