l0rd Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 If you haven't heard, according to recent tests, half food-products containing corn syrup have mercury in them. I've known for a while that many farm-raised and predatory fish have mercury in them as well. Mercury can cause birth-defects, brain diseases among other things. Do you think the amount of mercury consumed is negligible? Should we avoid mercury-containing foods totally? [hide=Article] Never a dull moment. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a think-tank in Minneapolis, tested brand-name foods made with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and found about half of them to contain mercury. HFCS, it seems, is made by a process that involves lye, which in turn is made in chlorine-alkali plants by a method that uses mercury. Mercury is a neurotoxin, although not as bad a toxin as methymercury, the kind that accumulates in large, predatory fish. A scientific report published in Environmental Health says the amounts of mercury in HFCS ranged from 0.00 to 0.57 micrograms per gram. The IATPs bottom line: The process for making HFCS should be changed to one that does not introduce mercury. This seems like quite sensible advice, but how worried should we be about mercury in HFCS? I agree that mercury in any form is unlikely to be good, but I have no idea whether such low levels do measurable harm. For one thing, these studies did not compare the amounts of mercury found in HFCS to those typically found in foods that do not contain HFCS. My guess is that most foods contain low levels of mercury because mercury is prevalent in air, water, and soil, especially around coal-burning power plants. Also, soft drinks are the major sources of HFCS in American diets, but these were found to be relatively free of mercury. This is puzzling. If anything, these studies are a call for more research on heavy metal toxicology. In the meantime, lets lobby for changing this process for making HFCS, but even more so for cleaning up coal-burning power plants that supply 40% of mercury in our environment. Food Production Daily has a good report on this, with quotes from the Corn Refiners Association.[/hide] [iNSERT "I R EATIN TEH SHIX ATM" BILL COSBY SIGNATURE GIF HERE, LOL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenticular_J Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Hold on. If only half of those products have mercury, doesn't that mean something else is causing it? I don't know much about this. I wouldn't say avoid them totally, though. Most foods have a little bit of mercury, right? Even the air has a tiny bit. catch it now so you can like it before it went so mainstream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giordano Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Yes, everything we ever touch, see, or hear is dangerous. "The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you never hear it you'll never know what justice is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l0rd Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 Hold on. If only half of those products have mercury, doesn't that mean something else is causing it? I don't know much about this. I wouldn't say avoid them totally, though. Most foods have a little bit of mercury, right? Even the air has a tiny bit. If you would've read the article #-o you would've known that: "HFCS, it seems, is made by a process that involves lye, which in turn is made in chlorine-alkali plants by a method that uses mercury." You would've also known that: "A scientific report published in Environmental Health says the amounts of mercury in HFCS ranged from 0.00 to 0.57 micrograms per gram" Also, saying "the air" has mercury in it would not be incorrect. Because I'm sure SOMEWHERE around objects containing a lot of mercury, there are tiny particles of mercury falling to the ground. But in general, no, air does not contain mercury. You might have a couple atoms of mercury floating in your room, but an atom/few/thousand/hundred of mercury is 100% ineffective. [iNSERT "I R EATIN TEH SHIX ATM" BILL COSBY SIGNATURE GIF HERE, LOL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenticular_J Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I did read the article. I just don't understand much about it. I'm assuming that .57 grams of mercury is very bad, correct? Well, how much corn syrup was the sample? I mean, if it's ten grams, I'm sure that's something to be worried about. But if it's a truck load, wouldn't those be normal levels? catch it now so you can like it before it went so mainstream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l0rd Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 I did read the article. I just don't understand much about it. I'm assuming that .57 grams of mercury is very bad, correct? Well, how much corn syrup was the sample? I mean, if it's ten grams, I'm sure that's something to be worried about. But if it's a truck load, wouldn't those be normal levels? Lenti.....U just made me LOL. I'm sorry, but you've been asking the stupidest questions. I still luv u tho. it said 0.00-0.57micrograms PER GRAM Someone needs a reading comprehension lesson. [iNSERT "I R EATIN TEH SHIX ATM" BILL COSBY SIGNATURE GIF HERE, LOL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doomy Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I'm sure the amount of mercury we consume is pretty insignificant, the number of birth defects actually caused by this wouldn't be very high. And I hate fish so I'm good there :P Doomy edit: I like sheep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l0rd Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 I'm sure the amount of mercury we consume is pretty insignificant, the number of birth defects actually caused by this wouldn't be very high. And I hate fish so I'm good there :P Look at how much mental-illness and diseases we have now though. [iNSERT "I R EATIN TEH SHIX ATM" BILL COSBY SIGNATURE GIF HERE, LOL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenticular_J Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I did read the article. I just don't understand much about it. I'm assuming that .57 grams of mercury is very bad, correct? Well, how much corn syrup was the sample? I mean, if it's ten grams, I'm sure that's something to be worried about. But if it's a truck load, wouldn't those be normal levels? Lenti.....U just made me LOL. I'm sorry, but you've been asking the stupidest questions. I still luv u tho. it said 0.00-0.57micrograms PER GRAM Someone needs a reading comprehension lesson. Argh, leave me alone, I'm tired. That doesn't sound good, though. catch it now so you can like it before it went so mainstream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhaloguy Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Yes, everything we ever touch, see, or hear is dangerous. I've always had this mindset. I'm going back into my portal of emptiness. If you do things right people won't be sure you've done anything at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastortoise Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 This might be a factor in the fact that humans have an extremely higher number of genetic mutations, all found at a higher rate compared to any other animal. I'm not even talking about conditions developed after eating mercury-filled foods. Then again, we rarely exercise and eat hotdogs all day. I for one wag the finger of shame at anyone who doesn't eat fish just because there's mercury traces in them. They're a source of so many essential components of your body, and the only substitute is healthy Indian cuisine. Eat your freaking fish, you guys :shame: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGoddessI Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 It depends how much mercury really. Oh well, another thing for pregnant women not to eat. Soon they'll be living off broth! And that's before they find something wrong with that too. I'll make some sort of a decision the day they print out low level mercury research statistics. I can't seem to find any... or I'm not looking hard enough. The only people who tell you that you can't do something are those who have already given up on their own dreams so feel the need to discourage yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoi_Tu Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 This all the more reason for the US to stop protecting their corn industry. It's costly and economically harms other countries as well. Although the article is not very definitive, so I don't see a need to worry unless you eat a lot of junk food, in which case you've got other problems. Beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doomy Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I'm sure the amount of mercury we consume is pretty insignificant, the number of birth defects actually caused by this wouldn't be very high. And I hate fish so I'm good there :P Look at how much mental-illness and diseases we have now though. Yeah, but even if we didn't have any mercury in our foods, most of them wouldn't be avoided anyway. Doomy edit: I like sheep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGoddessI Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Look at how much mental-illness and diseases we have now though. I find it ironic how mercury can contribute to this, however fish oil can prevent or even treat it. It must be natures way of balancing the two when you eat fish lol [hide=fish oil...]I found that fish oil given to violent prisoners, made them behave less violently! Fish oil can both prevent and treat Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar, ADHD and Anger/Aggression but unfortunately this is not the case for all. The one important ingredient that fish oil contains is called docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid. This acid is said to have drastic impact upon the brain as well as the nervous system. People with the aforementioned disorders have low levels of DHA. Both fish (good examples, tuna, mackerel, ocean trout, sardines) and fish oil is the best source of Omega3 fatty acids. It keeps the heart healthy by minimizing the risks of rhythm disorders, helps the blood to clot and vessels running smoothly. Countries such as Japan that consume large amounts of fish were announced the worlds lowest risk for heart disease. Other studies I read up on concluded that fish oil also helped to prevent impaired vision and brain development in children, taking it while pregnant can reduce the risks of allergies, increase your child's IQ and decreases the chances of Post Natal Depression. In obesity fish oil can reduce cravings for fatty foods, prevent diabetes and reduce the risk of stroke and cardiac death by up to 50%. The reason people take FISH OIL and not just eat FISH is because of mercury contamination. In older people fish oil can relieve the awful pain of arthritis.[/hide] The only people who tell you that you can't do something are those who have already given up on their own dreams so feel the need to discourage yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pureprayer Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I dont think it really matters. Pureprayer, you're awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_love_burritos Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Apparantly Fish Oil, is something equivalent to holy water, Jesus's tears and blood, and Monkey placenta. What doesn't it do ? I'm sick of hearing about it. It seems to me, that everyone who doesn't eat much fish, is pinned as an mentally defective moron and Fish Oil will solve all their problems. I'm exaggerating, but that is essentially the truth. As told by me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGoddessI Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 This is a thread about mercury and with mercury it's quite common to talk about fish and fish oil. Just pointing out the obvious, for the next time you decide to click on an article. It's like complaining about the word guns or bombs in a war article :roll: The only people who tell you that you can't do something are those who have already given up on their own dreams so feel the need to discourage yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_love_burritos Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Yeah true. But this has been heralded as the second coming of Christ. Going off on a tangent: It was a well known fact that Walnuts, and nuts in general are beneficial for pregnant women. Suddenly people are saying, eat more fish. More omega-3, thus better for you and baby. Walnuts have plenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IGoddessI Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Really? The information I have on nuts during pregnancy recommends not to eat nuts in case the child has an allergy. But once again it's to a point where you apparently can't eat anything these days. The only people who tell you that you can't do something are those who have already given up on their own dreams so feel the need to discourage yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_love_burritos Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 We'll soon be allergic to air, water and sunlight. Curiously there are genetic conditions for all of those. Extremley rare. I wasn't aware that developing foetuses have allergys. :-k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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