Regular intake of sea food can lead you to "forever chemicals"

If you are someone who is fond of sea food then you will have to be cautious the next time you eat sea food as a study has suggested that consumption of sea food has certain drawbacks. A study was conducted by Scientists of Dartmouth College (UK) which revealed that regular intake of seafood can lead you to "forever chemicals" or per-and poly-fluroalkyl substances (PFAS).

According to some reports, PFAS which is nicknamed as "forever chemicals" can lead to certain health issues like cancer, obesity, thyroid, liver and kidney disease, higher cholesterol, low birth weight, infertility and even a lower response to vaccines.

PFAS are mainly called "forever chemicals" because they take thousands of years to break down in environment. This nature of "forever chemicals" make them hazardous for human health as well as environment.

"Our recommendation isn't to eat seafood -- seafood is a great source of lean protein and omega fatty acids. But it also is a potentially underestimated source of PFAS exposure in humans," Megan Romano, corresponding author and associate Professor of Epidemiology at Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine in UK said while explaining the issue.

sea food
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to this Romano further added, "Understanding this risk-benefit trade-off for seafood consumption is important for people making decisions about diet, especially for vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children."

The scientists also highlighted that unlike mercury and other contaminants there is no guidelines for safe seafood consumption in the case of "forever chemicals".

The conclusion was derived after analyzing 26 different types of PFAS in some of the popular marine species like cod, haddock, lobster, salmon, scallop, shrimp, and tuna in which the shrimp and lobster contained the highest concentrations of PFAS. The study also disclosed that the average amounts of 1.74 and 3.30 nanograms of PFAS chemicals were present at per gram of meat in shrimp and lobster, respectively.

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