Sushi Making Us Human Thermometers, Diet Sodas Making Us Fat

Sushi and diet soda—long believed to be healthy alternatives to heart-clogging, sugar-spiking foods and beverages—may [pack dangerous punches] of their own, at least according to two new studies. A [Health Department](www.nyc.gov/health) survey released yesterday reports that [one in four New Yorkers](http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=71941) has elevated blood mercury levels thanks to consuming contaminated fish. Nearly half of Asian women in the city eat so much of the stuff that their blood mercury levels are at or above what is considered to be the dangerous level. And while mercury from seafood consumption is generally believed to be safe for healthy adults, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is urging young children, pregnant and breast-feeding women to [avoid consuming fish](http://www.nypost.com/seven/07242007/news/regionalnews/mercurys_rising__in_bloodstream_regionalnews_marianne_garvey.htm) with high mercury levels, such as Chilean sea bass and certain varieties of fresh tuna, due to the risk of neurological damage during early development. The Health Department is also advising all New Yorkers to avoid eating fish caught in the East River, Hudson Rivers and New York Harbor. Evidently, they’re contaminated, too.

For the dangerous news on soft drinks, click [here].

But that’s not all. A study published yesterday in the [American Heart Association]’s online journal [Circulation](circ.ahajournals.org/) found that people who drink one or more cans of soda a day were [48 percent more likely](http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-soda24jul24,0,1193801.story?coll=ny-top-headlines) to develop “[metabolic syndrome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_syndrome),” a cluster of conditions that are believed to lead to heart disease. And get this: it makes no difference if the soda is of the diet or sugar-laced variety. While the results for regular soda were unsurprising, even the authors admitted they couldn’t figure out exactly how a drink with no fat, no carbs and no calories, composed of 99 percent water could possibly contribute to heart disease. Dr. Ramachandran S. Vasan, the lead author of the study, posited several hypotheses—including that consuming sweet beverages may trigger people to crave other sweet foods—but said that further experimentation was necessary before causal links could be determined.

Spokesfolks from the affected industries didn’t waste any time before issuing defending responses: one for the [National Fisheries Institute] told the Post that it is extremely important for pregnant women to eat sea food, while the president of the [American Beverage Association](www.ameribev.org/), Susan Neely, told the paper’s readers to essentially ignore the soda findings: “This study doesn’t prove any link between soft drinks and increased risk of heart disease. Its assertions defy the existing body of scientific evidence, as well as common sense.” Evidently, cola manufacturers are better judges than the nine researchers affiliated with institutions including Harvard, Tufts and Boston University. Nevertheless, the take-home message is pretty clear: If I’m going to die of heart disease and pass brain damaging chemicals onto my future offspring, I might as well enjoy it. Mmmm, sushi.

Photo courtesy of [Dplanet:: on Flickr]