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Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Eating tinned food favourite daily triggered deadly poisoning - I was shocked by the safe limit
An office worker has claimed eating tuna three times a day for months left her with life-threatening mercury poisoning. Nasha Montgomery, 29, from Alabama in the US, spent four months at the end of 2021 batch-cooking salads with tuna for its hefty protein quantity. She would eat it with crackers for breakfast, in sandwiches for lunch and as a snack at work daily. It meant she was consuming around six tins in total per week, or around 1.5kg. But, as she revealed in a recent social media video, she began feeling sick after a couple of months, and suffering muscle cramps, tingling in her hands and feet, and a metallic taste in her mouth. The results of a blood test taken during a routine check-up came back normal—so she put it down to stress related to her new job in office management. But when her condition failed to improve she returned to the doctor, who asked if she'd been eating large quantities of any food in particular. 'I said tuna,' she recalled. A more detailed blood test subsequently revealed 'high levels' of the metal mercury in her body. Doctors diagnosed her with suspected mercury poisoning—when the toxic metal builds up inside the body, causing a range of symptoms including memory problems, numbness, tremors and, in the most severe cases, permanent and lethal brain and kidney damage. Fish with the highest level of mercury include shark, swordfish, tuna and king mackerel. According to studies, mercury poisoning is a risk if you eat more than 25 tins of tuna a week, or around 16 tuna steaks. However some types, like albacore, which Ms Montgomery was eating, contain higher amounts of the metal. Those trying to have a baby or who are pregnant should not eat more than two cans of tuna or two tuna steaks a week due to the risk of mercury poisoning to a baby. Speaking of her diagnosis, Ms Montgomery said: 'I was in shock as I thought I was doing something right by eating the tuna. 'It was healthy, and the things I was eating the tuna with were also healthy. 'I felt like I was doing right by myself but too much of a good thing can always backfire.' Doctors advised her to cut tuna out of her diet for six to eight months, until all the symptoms had vanished. 'I basically had to detox from tuna. I was detoxing like I was addicted to it,' she said. I'm now very careful now about my fish choices. 'Sometimes I do feel tingly or numbness in my fingers and feet but aside from that I haven't experienced any long-term effects.' Treatment options other than stopping exposure for mercury poisoning involve chelation therapy—whereby a machine removes metals from the body via an IV drip. However, the best treatment option will depend on how you consumed or came into contact with mercury. For example, other options are dialysis and surgery which can physically remove mercury from the body. Mercury ends up in fish due to a build-up in the ocean, which happens due to mining and burning coal. In the UK, the government says the maximum level for mercury allowed in tuna products is 1.0g/kg. Last year, Foodwatch and Paris-based NGO Bloom, found 148 cans of tuna, from five European countries, all tested positive for mercury. One tin bought in a Paris Carrefour City store had a record level of 3.9 mg/kg, the report said—13 times the 0.3 mg/kg limit. Bloom and Foodwatch urged European nations to 'activate a safeguard clause' to prevent the sale and promotion of products exceeding 0.3mg/kg. They also called on governments to remove 'all products' with tuna from school canteens, nurseries, maternity wards, hospitals and care homes. However, the UK Foods Standard Agency said: 'The study shows a relatively small number of products were above the legal limit. 'Out of 30 products from the UK market, just one product was found which may be over the legal level.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
GP reveals exact number of drinks it takes for most people to feel hungover...and drunk
An NHS doctor has revealed at what point you should put down the wine if you want to avoid a hangover. According to GP Dr Bhavini Sha, four standard glasses of wine, or two and a half pints of beer, is enough to make you feel dreadful the following day. Although this amount is likely to land you with a roster of classic hangover symptoms, just half a medium glass can make you somewhat drunk, Dr Sha warned. 'One unit of alcohol [half a medium glass of wine] increases the heart rate, expands blood vessels, and gives a slight "buzz" which commonly makes people feel more sociable or talkative', she told The Mirror. 'But after four to six units [two to three medium glasses], alcohol begins to impact your nervous system, decreasing reaction time and affecting areas of the brain associated with decision making, resulting in poorer judgement and potentially more reckless behaviour. 'At around eight units most people will experience a hangover.' The NHS recommends drinking no more than 14 units per week, spread over three or more days, which is the equivalent to roughly six and a half standard glasses of wine. One unit equals 10ml of pure alcohol, which is the amount of booze the body can process in an hour. 'After eight units, your vision and sleep will be affected and you will have consumed more alcohol than your liver can process in one night, resulting in symptoms the following day,' Dr Sha warned. Despite various products being marketed as hangover cures, Dr Sha explained that there is very little evidence that a person can speed up how quickly their body processes alcohol—meaning the damaging effects are almost guaranteed. 'After 12 units, you are at great risk of alcohol poisoning,' she added. This can occur when alcohol is consumed quicker than the body can process it, resulting in confusion, vomiting, loss of conscious, breathing difficulties and even seizures. Left untreated, this can progress and cause liver and heart failure, and even death. This is usually caused by binge drinking, a term used to refer to when a lot of alcohol is consumed in one drinking session. It comes as the latest ONS figures shows alcohol related deaths have soared to a record high in Britain, with more than 10,000 fatalities related to drinking in 2023. The NHS states there is no 'safe' drinking level, with people who regularly drink more than 14 units a week at higher risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, liver disease and brain damage. The NHS recommends that adults drink no more than 14 units each week – that's 14 single shots of spirit, six pints of beer or a bottle and a half of wine But, up to one in four adults in England report drinking over this level. Earlier this year, scientists highlighted a simple test that can point to a 'hidden' drinking problem, amid a rise in alcohol-related deaths post-pandemic. Medics have previously warned that many drinkers fail to recognise they have a problem because their body hasn't yet become reliant on alcohol, which causes telltale signs such as shakes. However, there is a simple test that doctors use to spot a hidden, 'functioning' alcoholic. Called the CAGE test, the tool involves asking the patient four key questions about their drinking habits. The questions include the following: Have you ever felt you needed to cut down your drinking? Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt guilty about drinking? Do you need to drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or lessen a hangover? Experts say answering 'yes' to two or more of these questions means a patient could have a drinking problem. Those concerned they may have a problem with alcohol should visit their GP, who can make an assessment and refer them to specialist clinics for counselling and help with withdrawal.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
What to wear in extreme heat: natural fibers only – and no heathered grey
As you've probably noticed, it's extremely hot. A heatwave has blanketed much of the eastern United States, and the UK Health Security Agency has just issued a heat-health alert for much of England. This raises lots of questions. What does this mean for the future of our planet? How can we best combat climate change? And also, what does one wear when it's scorchingly, miserably hot outside? 'This exact question comes up constantly,' says Sophie Strauss, a self-described 'stylist for regular people' in Los Angeles. 'Everybody struggles with dressing when it's hot out.' Generally, two of the biggest concerns for warm-weather dressing are a) maximizing comfort and b) masking sweat so one doesn't look like a sentient pile of wet laundry. We asked experts for advice. When dressing for warmer weather, look for clothes that move heat and moisture away from your body. Generally, experts recommend wearing cotton and linen, which are natural fibers. Besides that, fit and form mostly come down to personal preference. 'The majority of people tend to like something a bit looser and more flowy,' says Strauss. Linen is 'one of the coolest fabrics for summer', says Dr Saetbyul Park, assistant professor of apparel and textile design at Michigan State University, because it is breathable and absorbs moisture. It's also lightweight and stiff, which means it won't cling to your skin when it gets wet, Park explains. Park also recommends cotton because 'it's absorbent, breathable, easy to care for and durable'. But cotton has its drawbacks. 'It can absorb moisture and get heavy if you sweat a lot,' Park says. And heavier cotton fabrics, like denim, can trap heat. Instead, she recommends opting for a chambray, which looks similar to denim, but is much lighter. While silk is a natural fiber, it's probably best to avoid. 'Silk fiber is pretty insulating,' says Strauss. 'If you have a lot of your body covered in silk, you might feel hot.' Synthetic fabrics, like polyester, nylon or acrylic, are more of a mixed bag. Materials like polyester and nylon have moisture-wicking properties, meaning they absorb the sweat on your body and move it away from your skin, but they may be less comfortable in extreme heat, according to Park. Generally, they're more tightly woven and less breathable, and they tend to trap heat against the body. This can impede the body's ability to regulate its temperature and can sometimes lead to heat rash, says Dr Doris Day, a board-certified dermatologist, and associate professor of dermatology at the New York University Langone Medical Center. Polyester can also get stinky, Strauss says. A 2014 study found that polyester attracted odor-causing bacteria, while cotton did not, and that it smelled significantly 'more strong, more sweaty, and more sour'. Another reason to avoid such fabrics is the environmental impact. In 2020, an exclusive Guardian report revealed that 4,000 metric tons of microfibers from synthetic clothing had been released into California's natural environment. While it's easy to spot synthetic fabrics in exercise gear, Strauss says they're more widespread than one might think. 'People don't realize how much [clothing] is polyester now, or a poly blend,' she says. According to Day, if you sweat in your clothes, you should change them soon after. If you keep them on for too long, she says, 'it can cause a heat rash, acne or fungal acne breakouts' – an infection of the hair follicle that causes small, red, itchy bumps on the skin. When it comes to masking sweat, some colors are more forgiving than others. 'Your worst enemy is a heathered grey,' says Strauss. Because it has black undertones, it looks black when it gets wet, and the contrast between its dry color and wet color are severe. Generally, she says, darker colors that aren't grey-based, like navy or dark green, hide sweat better because they don't look as different when they're wet. The downside to dark colors is that they absorb more heat than lighter colors, meaning they'll make you feel warmer. But dark colors also offer more sun protection. A black T-shirt shields your skin from significantly more harmful sun rays than a white T-shirt. Strauss says a big pattern can be more effective for hiding sweat stains than any one color. 'It's sort of like having a busy tablecloth. It just covers more sins,' says Strauss. A couple of years ago, I went to a music festival in Austin, Texas, a city that regularly enjoys the same balmy temperatures as the surface of the sun. I wore a loose, red linen jumpsuit that made me look like an adult baby but seemed like it would keep me cool. An hour into the event, the jumpsuit was mostly a deep burgundy, and sweat had pooled on my stomach, making me look like a Teletubby. But as much as we may yearn to avoid unsightly sweat patches, they are a sign that our body is doing exactly what it's supposed to. 'Sweating is a healthy process and should not be entirely eliminated,' says Day. She notes that more people are using neuromodulators like Botox to prevent sweating. But this can be dangerous if it prevents the body from balancing its temperature as needed. Instead, Day says, try other ways of cooling down, like taking a cool shower. And avoid music festivals when it's 100F outside.
