15/10/2026
🦪 Should we be worried about mercury and heavy metals in shellfish?
After sharing a video about the nutritional benefits of shellfish during my visit to Whitstable, someone raised an important question about heavy metals.
It's a reasonable concern, but not all seafood contains the same concentrations of mercury.
For example, large predatory fish such as swordfish and certain tuna species can accumulate relatively high amounts of mercury.
Oysters are generally considered a lower-mercury seafood choice.
They're also nutrient-dense, providing essential nutrients such as zinc, vitamin B12 and selenium.
Selenium plays important roles in thyroid function and antioxidant defence. It also interacts chemically with mercury, although this doesn't establish that consuming selenium protects us from mercury toxicity.
It's important to remember that mercury is only one potential contaminant, and seafood safety depends on several factors.
My message is simple:
Rather than avoiding entire food groups based on one concern, it's worth understanding the evidence and making informed choices.
💬 Do concerns about mercury or heavy metals influence how often you eat seafood?
