A recent study has revealed that there is a link between arsenic exposure in youngsters and development of Type 2 diabetes.
According to the study, higher level of mercury exposure in young adults could increase the risks for Type 2 diabetes later part of life by 65 percent.
The research was carried by Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington epidemiologist Ka He, who is the first to establish such link between mercury and diabetes in humans.
The study has revealed a complex nutritional image as the major source of mercury in humans comes from the consumption of fish and shellfish, nearly all of which contain traces of mercury, reports Science Daily.
Fish and shellfish are also rich in protein and other nutrients like magnesium and omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids, which make them essential for a healthy diet.
In the study, published online early in the journal Diabetes Care, people with highest mercury levels also appeared to have healthier lifestyles, lower body mass indexes and smaller waist circumferences than that of others.
They also ate more fish, which is a possible marker of healthy diet or higher social economic status. Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include being overweight.
According to He, these findings shows the importance of opting fish, which have low levels of mercury such as shrimp, salmon and catfish, and avoiding fish with higher levels such as swordfish and shark.
"It is likely that the overall health impact of fish consumption may reflect the interactions of nutrients and contaminants in fish. Thus, studying any of these nutrients and contaminants such as mercury should consider confounding from other components in fish," He and the authors wrote in the study.
"In the current study, the association between mercury exposure and diabetes incidence was substantially strengthened after controlling for intake of LCN-3PUFAs (omega-3) and magnesium," the study noted.
-With inputs from ANI
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