High levels of mercury in your body-which you can get from eating fish and shellfish and from your dental fillings-dramatically increase the risk of diabetes.
You’re up to 65 per cent more likely to develop type II diabetes in later life if you have higher-than-average levels of mercury, researchers have found.
Researchers from the Indiana University School of Public Health are the first to pinpoint mercury as a cause of diabetes, and so it joins smoking, obesity and poor diet to the list of risk factors.
They made the discovery when they studied the lifestyles of 3,875 men and women; those who had higher levels of mercury when younger were far more likely to become diabetics when they were older.
But don’t stop eating fish, say the researchers. Fish meat also includes magnesium and omega-3s, which can counter the worst effects of mercury. Instead, eat fish that has lower levels of mercury, such as shrimp, salmon and catfish. Fish with known higher levels of mercury include swordfish.
Take a look at your amalgam dental fillings, too.
(Source: Diabetes Care, 2013; doi: 10.2337/dc12-1842).
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