Research Shows Mercury is a Likely Cause for Alzheimer's Disease
Business Wire
11-15-10
In an article to be published in the November 15th issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, researchers have found that mercury is likely to be one of the multiple causes of Alzheimer's disease. Mercury is one of the most toxic natural substances. It poses a danger to humans and may lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. After a systematic review of existing experimental and clinical research literature, researchers associated with the Viadrina European University, the Samueli Institute (Virginia, USA), Northeastern University (Boston, MA, USA) and the University Hospital Freiburg found that the symptoms and features of Alzheimer's disease were reproduced or accelerated when mercury was introduced.
Mercury binds tightly to selenium, a naturally occurring metal found in our diet that is important for good health. Proteins associated with selenium form a class of molecules that help prevent damage due to oxidative stress, which is the stress that occurs when metabolism takes place. Oxidative stress leads to cell death and thus aging. When mercury binds to selenium, this process may be accelerated, as are other degenerative processes in the brain.
The experimental research literature indicates that animal and cell models reproduce all the features of Alzheimer's disease when mercury is given. For instance, one of the more widely known uses of mercury is in amalgam dental fillings, the most common type of fillings used by dentists. Studies of low-dose human exposure, such as to dentists and their staff, show that exposure to mercury is significantly correlated with neurological or psychological harm, or both.
Mercury can be introduced to the body in several ways because it evaporates at room temperatures. It can be taken up as a gas, reaching the brain directly, via the nose, or indirectly via the blood. It then crosses the blood-brain barrier and gets trapped inside the brain, where it can accumulate over long periods of time.
"The situation is similar to the early 1970's regarding smoking: enough experimental evidence existed, but human studies were inconclusive at the time and were under attack by groups with a vested interest," said Professor Harald Walach, PhD, Viadrina European University and Samueli Institute Fellow. "To wait until irrefutable evidence has accumulated is not the best option in view of what we already know about the toxicity of mercury. The removal of inorganic mercury from ecological cycles might prove to be the easiest and most effective public health measure to contribute to the prevention of Alzheimer's disease."
When mercury binds to selenium? I was reading something a yr ago that selenium helps deactivate mercury in the ysytem. Maybe they were wrong. Also, as a sushi snob, they say Tuna and Mackeral are loaded with mercury so stay away.
Vitamin D detoxifies the brain by increasing glutathione levels which binds to mercury and it also decreases nitric oxide synthase activity which reduces free radicals in the brain.
Tuna is very high in selenium(3ozs contains the full RDA), so a lot of the mercury in tuna is already bound to the selenium before it is consumed and the Japanese consume a lot of healthy nutrients besides, such as green tea which help detoxification.
The maps with statistics for AD should be read with caution because there is often a lot of good reasons why a country may have a low number of sufferers.
Russia for instance only has 10% of the AD cases of the US/Canada, this in a country that has one of the most polluted environments in the world.
This is because people on average only live to 67 in Russia and most AD cases are diagnosed after 70 years.
Same for a lot of African countries with a low expected life expectancy.
<Vitamin D detoxifies the brain by increasing glutathione levels which binds to mercury and it also decreases nitric oxide synthase activity which reduces free radicals in the brain.>
Good point. Also, carnitine and cauliflower increases glutathione.
Iodine is also a chelator of mercury. I also thought that selenium would bind with mercury, rendering it useless to the body. Cilantro will, and will cross the brain barrier in doing so.
I think we will eventually find that metals are causing many neurotic diseases. The metal must short circuit the brain cell communications. I'll bet iron is associated with Parkinsonism.
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- Jim
"We all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own." - Emperor Marcus Aurelius
Iodine is also a chelator of mercury. I also thought that selenium would bind with mercury, rendering it useless to the body. Cilantro will, and will cross the brain barrier in doing so.
I think we will eventually find that metals are causing many neurotic diseases. The metal must short circuit the brain cell communications. I'll bet iron is associated with Parkinsonism.
The iodine would explain the japanese pardox! Good analysis. I forgot about the cilantro thing and I love cilantro. Funny thing, first time I tasted it, I thought it tasted like soap, now I love it.
The iodine would explain the japanese pardox! Good analysis. I forgot about the cilantro thing and I love cilantro. Funny thing, first time I tasted it, I thought it tasted like soap, now I love it.
I can't stand cilantro. If I take it, it has to be as a supplement. I'm still concerned about the selenium/mercury binding. I thought it was a "good" binding.
I can't stand cilantro. If I take it, it has to be as a supplement. I'm still concerned about the selenium/mercury binding. I thought it was a "good" binding.
I am concerned also. I am also upset, because good quality seafood is hard to find in the states. I am curious if lesser grades of fish have higher mercury.
Mercury and heavy metals are everywhere. Most of the power generation in the world comes from burning coal and as a byproduct it contaminates the whole planet with mercury and lead that enters the atmosphere as exhausted waste. Even unpopulated Antarctica is polluted, there is not a single unspoilt place left.
I've stopped eating most seafoods due to either mercury or it being farmed fish or due to BP oil spill.
But, I have been eating some sardines as well as herring [I love herring in sour cream]. LOL!
Either of these eaten on/with crackers isn't too bad. I sometime add the herring to a salad too.
I've stopped eating most seafoods due to either mercury or it being farmed fish or due to BP oil spill.
But, I have been eating some sardines as well as herring [I love herring in sour cream]. LOL!
Either of these eaten on/with crackers isn't too bad. I sometime add the herring to a salad too.
farmed fish is everywhere, you have to be careful. Also, the wild caught fish is a lot of times caught in china. Canned salmon is actually wild caught in alaska and is ok. Sardines are usually ok.
I've never heard of tilefish. I remember that we once discussed this stuff and tilapia was one fish to avoid. Maybe not for mercury content though https://www.natmedtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5001
Mercury A Likely Cause for Alzheimer's
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