If nothing else can persuade people who eat shark-fin to give up the practice, perhaps the news that it’s affecting their brain-cells will.
In a new study, University of Miami scientists have found high concentrations of accumulated toxins linked to neuro-degenerative diseases in the fins and muscles of 10 species of shark found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The research team concluded that restricting consumption of shark-fin (or any other part of a shark) could improve consumers’ health prospects – as well as the survival outlook of the sharks themselves. Several of the species analysed were on the endangered list, including great hammerheads.
In all the species tested the researchers found concentrations of two toxins – mercury and BMAA – at levels that would endanger human health. Apart from the individual risks from each of the two toxins, in combination they could also have a further synergistic toxic impact, while not necessarily threatening the sharks themselves.
“Recent studies have linked BMAA to neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” said neurology professor Deborah Mash, senior author of the study. “Our results suggest that humans who consume shark parts may be at a risk for developing neurological diseases.”
The study is published in the journal Toxins.
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