Like many other foods, consuming fish can have some risks, and in the case of some species of fish, it is mercury. The Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has drawn up a list with the fish with the lowest mercury levels. We tell you which fish are the safest.
Thirteen fish species with low mercury levels
The list of study published by the CSIC with the lowest mercury levels comprises 13 species of the total of the 58 analyzed. These thirteen species of fish are: the sardine, the anchovy, the sea bream, the sea bream, the squid, the blue whiting, the caramel, the galan, the red mullet, the serrano, the salpa, the corvallo and the dolphinfish. All the species analyzed came from Mediterranean coastal areas such as: Marseille, Menorca, Majorca, Ibiza, Alicante, L'Ametlla de Mar, L'Ampolla, Genoa, Civitavecchia and Alguer.
As explained by the CSIC researcher Joan O. Grimalt «Eating these species minimizes our mercury intake, which is the price to pay when eating fish. In addition, these fish have a good amount of unsaturated fatty acids, which are more beneficial from a nutritional point of view.” Grimalt recalls that high and recurrent consumption of mercury is toxic to our health. It significantly affects pregnant women and children, especially the cardiovascular system, lungs, and kidneys.
The report also highlights that if we consume the 13 fish with the lowest levels of mercury analyzed in the report, it would reduce the accumulation of mercury between 49% and 70% of the maximum recommended by the EU in our diet.
Fish species with the highest levels of mercury
From the CSIC they remember that "Most of the mercury that is ingested by the human population comes precisely from the consumption of fish and shellfish." Normally these coincide with the largest and most predatory fish species. These are swordfish or emperor, bluefin tuna and pike.
