Fish has been regarded as one of the best sources of essential nutrients that are good for the brain and heart, but one needs to be aware of where his fish supply is coming from due to the presence of toxic pollutants that may be toxic to humans and cause the immune system to fail.
In a recent report published in the Science Advances journal, researchers discovered a substance found in the muscle tissue of some commercially caught fish that could interfere with the body’s natural ability to get rid of damaging toxins.
The research was spearheaded by The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego.
Associate Professor of Marine Biology Amro Hamdoun, study lead author, pointed out that by ingesting these contaminated fish, it would reduce the body’s critical defence system and it is equally important that these fish do not end up in the food supply chain
The ‘hot’ fish contained a toxic pollutant called Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) which are by-products of synthetic chemicals used in industries like electronics, insecticides and DDT’s.
These are commercially produced chemicals used as additives to manufacturing and ingredients to insecticides which started to gain popularity after the end of World War II among developing nations due to the low costs involved in acquiring it.
Dr. Hamdoun explained that the body contains essential proteins called P-glycoprotein (P-gp) that is responsible for warding off harmful toxins that enter the body and attaches itself to the P-gp and rendering it helpless to wield its protective powers in the human body.
Dr. Hamdoun also said that these were results from fish caught off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, adding that it may not just be the fish that can have these POP pollutants in their systems. But even land dwelling animals and birds.
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) reported that substantial amounts of POP have been increasing in recent years due to advanced industrialization and manufacturing practices, from which these by-products are coming from.
POP’s are produced through intentionally-produced chemicals currently being used by agriculture, disease control, manufacturing or industrial processes and unintentionally produced chemicals such as dioxins from industrial processes or results of combustion like waste incineration or even burning of garbage.
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