What strategy is suggested for an adult who wants to consume a high-mercury fish like orange roughy while balancing overall mercury intake?
Answer
Eating it very rarely, perhaps once every month or two, and filling the rest of the weekly allowance with low-mercury options.
To manage the inevitable accumulation risk from consuming high-mercury species, a rotation strategy is recommended for adults who still wish to indulge in rare treats like orange roughy. Instead of regular consumption, which rapidly leads to concerning body burdens due to the slow methylmercury half-life, the advice is to treat it as a very rare indulgence—perhaps only once every one or two months. The remainder of the individual's weekly fish allowance should be filled exclusively with safer, low-mercury species to effectively balance the total mercury intake across the year.
Related Questions
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