Most Americans don't eat enough fish -- which some experts say could be a result of fears of mercury exposure. But new research shows what many thought would hurt their heart, could actually help.
Fish is jumping back on the menu, after studies linking heart disease to mercury exposure from fish caused many people to order the chicken. But researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health weren't convinced the risks of mercury outweighed the benefits of the protein and healthy fat packed into each catch.
"There are a few fish species that have higher mercury, so the real question was whether those should be avoided by everyone, or just avoided by women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, with the Harvard School of Public Health.
Harvard turned to data from two large studies of 160 thousand men and women. Researchers looked at the mercury levels of the participants, and compared that to the number who developed heart disease. According to Dr. Mozaffarian, “for the general population there's no link between mercury exposure from fish and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.”
