Next I will talk about
the tropical sea fish toxin.
It is found in fish in
the tropical, subtropical,
and temperate zones.
Eating these fish, even if
caught alive, and cooked
immediately, could
lead to food poisoning.
Welcome
veg-embracing viewers
to another episode of
Healthy Living.
Today we present part one
in our two-part series
on seafood poisoning
which is caused by
consuming fish
or shellfish
tainted with toxins.
In the USA it is
the primary cause of
foodborne illness.
Typical symptoms of
seafood poisoning
include nausea, vomiting,
gastroenteritis,
muscle aches, and in the
most serious cases, death.
With globalization
making it possible for
contaminated marine life
to be sold in markets
worldwide, no one
who consumes seafood
is free from
this dangerous threat.
There are eight
main types of fish and
shellfish poisoning.
The most well-known
involving fish are:
CIGUATERA
SCOMBROID
TETRODOTOXIN
and MERCURY
The most common
varieties of shellfish
poisoning include:
PARALYTIC,
DIARRHEAL
AMNESIC
and NEUROTOXIC
CIGUATERA
POISONING
We start with ciguatera
which is caused by
ciguatoxins, a poison
produced by algae
called dinoflagellates,
which are found
across the world.
During summer months,
the dinoflagellates
proliferate in coastal
waters creating what are
known as algal blooms.
Their population size
may become so great that
the waters appear red
in color because of
the pigment in the algae,
a phenomenon known as
“red tides.”
Ciguatera comes from
microscopic algae which
grow upon the surface
of coral and
other larger algae.
And that gets consumed
by herbivorous fish
and it goes up
through the food chain.
The toxin accumulates
within the flesh
of the larger fish.
That’s what people
tend to consume and
they become poisoned
after eating that.
Ciguatera,
the most common type of
fish poisoning worldwide,
may be contracted from
eating tropical reef fish,
such as grouper,
snapper, sea bass,
and parrotfish
as well as farmed salmon.
Each year an estimated
50,000 cases
occur globally.
A total of 400 marine
species are known to
bioaccumulate ciguatoxins,
which are 1,000 times
more lethal than arsenic.
The illness is marked by
such symptoms as severe
gastrointestinal distress,
nausea, abnormally low
heart rate, convulsions,
and blurred vision
to name just a few.
Relapses can occur
by consuming seafood,
chicken, pork, coffee
or alcohol and may
happen for years after
eating the tainted fish.
Ciguatoxins are resistant
to heat and cold,
so cooking, smoking,
refrigerating, freezing
and/or curing
the poisoned fish cannot
protect a consumer from
becoming sickened.
It is also undetectable
as the toxin is
odorless and tasteless.
When a person eats
a ciguateric fish and
gets ciguatera,
the symptoms come on
after about one to six,
even up to 24 hours and
then you can get up to
30 or even more different
symptoms from this
one poisoning event.
And these range from
your common food
poisoning symptoms like
vomiting and diarrhea,
as well as nausea and
gut pains to non-specific
effects; you get fatigue,
you get muscle aches,
joint aches and then
a wide range of
neurological symptoms
including bizarre
temperature reversal that
causes pain on contact
with cold objects,
but also you get
numbness and tingling
in the extremities.
You get a whole range of
things like itching that
jumps around the body.
Ciguatera is one of
the worst food poisonings,
because the symptoms
last for weeks, months
and sometimes even years.
So this very long,
protracted illness makes
people wonder, and often
they don’t even
get diagnosed properly.
SCOMBROID
POISONING
Scombroid, the second
most widespread type
of fish poisoning
after ciguatera, is
the result of ingesting
decayed fish, with
symptoms sometimes
appearing within minutes
of consuming the flesh.
Fish that may carry
scombroid include
Sardine, Anchovy,
Herring, and Amberjack.
Among all the marine
toxin poisoning,
the most common one
in Formosa (Taiwan)
is scombrotoxin
fish poisoning, also
known as histamine fish
poisoning, resulting
from consuming
dark meat fish, such as
Mackerel, Marlin,
Bonito, and Tuna.
This kind of fish contains
histidine, so if they are
not properly stored,
the bacteria will turn
histidine into histamine.
When it’s combined with
other amines such as
putrescin, or cadaverine,
it will cause symptoms
similar to
histamine poisoning,
including rash, fever,
dizziness, headache,
upset stomach, vomiting
and hives.
Such cases have
happened every year
in Formosa (Taiwan)
in the past few years.
Some other possible
consequences of
scombroid poisoning
include
burning sensations
around the mouth,
facial flushing, and
abnormal heartbeat.
Cooking or freezing
a fish will not
neutralize the toxin.
TETRODOTOXIN
POISONING
Pufferfish naturally
have tetrodotoxin in
their bodies and
poisoning may occur
after one eats “Fugu” or
a Japanese dish
made of Pufferfish.
Tetrodotoxin is one
of nature’s most fatal
poisons and is 10,000
times more potent
than cyanide.
If an adult consumes
just 0.001 milligram
of the substance,
the outcome could be
deadly.
The mortality rate for
tetrodotoxin-sickened
individuals is estimated
to be up to 50%, and
no antidote is known
to exist.
Cooking or freezing
the fish does not remove
its toxic properties and
the amount of poison
in just one Pufferfish
could kill 30 adults.
Besides Pufferfish,
Ocean Sunfish,
Triggerfish, and
Porcupine Fish
contain tetrodotoxin.
These species can be
found in tropical and
semi-tropical waters
across the globe.
Cases of
Pufferfish poisoning
have also been found
in Formosa (Taiwan)
and occasionally in other
countries in the world.
It’s not very common, but
it happens occasionally.
The Pufferfish is
actually very toxic.
It has a kind of
neurotoxin element.
Pufferfish poisoning
happens when people
catch Pufferfish
and eat it.
The symptoms caused
by Pufferfish poisoning
include numbness in the
mouth and in the tongue.
In the more serious cases,
the numbness might
extend to the limbs and
cause respiratory failure
and death.
Tetrodotoxin can kill.
At the moment, there’s no
real way of treating them
apart from some form of
first aid, or trying to
get the toxin out of
the person’s stomach
so no more of it
can get taken up.
Some cases
you can consume
activated charcoal which
can be used to try and
absorb the toxin and
prevent it being taken up
through your stomach
and the rest of your gut.
But if you get
a significant dose of
those toxins it is fatal.
The tetrodotoxin blocks
a protein in our nerves
called the sodium channel.
This is a protein
that allows sodium ions
to go across the nerve
membrane and that is
how we create biological
electricity in our bodies.
So of course if you close
that sodium channel and
prevent your biological
electricity from working,
basically your nervous
system and other tissues
like your muscles
just literally shut down.
And so because of that,
you’ll die.
Tetrodotoxin is
not just found in fish.
Some gastropods,
a type of mollusk, also
produce this poison.
Regarding
the tiny gastropods
smaller than a thumb,
not only is their meat
poisonous,
but also their intestines.
Lots of poisoning cases
have occurred in
Formosa (Taiwan),
such as in Pingtung.
Eating more than ten
of these tiny gastropods
could cost you your life.
It also happened
in Dongshan Island.
Depending on
the intensity of the toxin,
sometimes eating two
is enough to be fatal.
You see, the gastropods
are only that big, yet two
of them can get you killed.
MERCURY
POISONING
Methylmercury is
a neurotoxin and
is the most lethal form
of mercury, an element
which occurs naturally,
but can also enter
the environment though
industrial emissions
from sources like
coal-burning plants.
A joint Harvard University,
USA and US Geological
Survey study published
in 2009 concluded that
mercury-laden emissions
from industrial activity
get into the oceans,
are changed into
methylmercury
by bacteria and then
bioaccumulate in
different ocean species.
A mother who consumes
mercury-contaminated
fish or other seafood puts
their fetus at high risk
of birth defects including
mental retardation,
cerebral palsy, blindness
and deafness.
In adults, mercury
poisoning from seafood
can cause memory loss,
tremors, vision loss,
heart disease, and death.
Like other toxins,
mercury is undetectable
in fish as it is
odorless and tasteless.
PARALYTIC
SHELLFISH
POISONING
Saxitoxin causes paralytic
shellfish poisoning
and is produced
by dinoflagellates.
The toxins in these algae
become accumulated
in the bodies of
filter feeders like clams,
oysters, and scallops.
Saxitoxin-tainted
shellfish are found
globally, but most often
in temperate waters.
There is another kind of
marine toxin poisoning,
paralytic shellfish
poisoning, which
is not common
but has happened
in many countries.
We know from its name
that it’s resulted from
eating shellfish, such as
Coelomactra antiquate.
The toxin of shellfish
is about the same
as tetrodotoxin.
After eating it, it will
poison our nervous system.
It can also cause
numbness in the mouth,
the tongue and the limbs.
In the most serious
poisoning cases,
muscle paralysis and
respiratory failure may
occur followed by death
within two to 25 hours.
NEUROTOXIC
SHELLFISH
POISONING
Brevetoxins are
responsible for
neurotoxic
shellfish poisoning
and come from
dinoflagellates.
Consuming contaminated
oysters, clams, or mussels
can lead to
gastrointestinal upset,
tingling in the mouth,
arms and legs,
incoordination, and even
temperature reversal
like with ciguatera.
AMNESIC
SHELLFISH
POISONING
The toxin associated
with amnesic shellfish
poisoning is from a type
of red-brown algae that is
found in the oceans
surrounding Europe,
North America, East Asia
and Southeast Asia.
The less severe effects
of poisoning include
dizziness, headache,
and disorientation,
but amnesia and death
may also occur.
Other toxins are things
like domoic acid, which
is the cause of amnesic
shellfish poisoning,
which is
a rare occurrence.
But as you can tell from
the name what it does is
it affects the human brain
and people actually
forget about
what’s happened.
DIARRHEAL
SHELLFISH
POISONING
Another syndrome is
something called
diarrhetic shellfish
poisoning.
Obviously again
from the name, it causes
very bad diarrhea and
that’s caused by a toxin
called okadaic acid.
And again, that comes
from a microscopic algae
that can form these
blooms that people see
as part of red tides.
It has a very difficult to
treat diarrhea problem
in that it causes
the epithelium
of people’s gut linings
to actually slough off,
so it’s not like something
you can rush down
to the chemist and
get an anti-diarrhetic
to try and deal with it.
It’s quite a severe form
of diarrhea.
As we have seen today,
the risks associated with
consuming fish and
shellfish are extremely
high and the possible
devastating results
include death.
Doctors Lyndon Llewellyn,
Hwang Deng-Fwu and
Yang Chen-Chang, and
Professor Richard Lewis,
we thank you
for taking time from
your busy schedules to
discuss the issue of
seafood poisoning
and the toxins
hidden in marine life.
May humankind soon
stop eating all animal
products and instead
adopt the safe, nutritious
and delicious
organic vegan diet.
For more details on
the experts featured
on today’s program,
please visit
the following websites
Dr. Lyndon Llewellyn
AIMS.gov.au
Professor Richard Lewis
www.IMB.UQ.edu.au
Dr. Hwang Deng-Fwu
www.Toxin.NTOU.edu.tw
Dr. Yang Chen-Chang
www.VGHTPE.gov.tw
Treasured viewers,
please join us again
next Monday
on Healthy Living for
part two of our program
on the hazards of
eating fish and shellfish.
Coming up next is
Science and Spirituality
after Noteworthy News.
May Heaven bless you
with everlasting
vitality and well-being.
Halo concerned viewers
and welcome
to Healthy Living.
Today we present part two
in our two-part series
on seafood poisoning,
which is caused by
consuming fish
or shellfish
tainted with toxins.
In the US seafood poisoning is
the primary cause of
foodborne illness.
Typical symptoms of
the condition
include nausea, vomiting,
gastroenteritis,
muscle aches, and in the
most serious cases, death.
With globalization
making it possible for
contaminated marine life
to be sold in markets
around the world, no one
who consumes seafood
is free from
this dangerous threat.
Last week
we covered a number of
well-known types of
seafood poisoning,
including ciguatera,
the most common form
of fish poisoning
in the world.
Ciguatoxins are resistant
to heat and cold,
so cooking, smoking,
refrigerating, freezing
and/or curing the
contaminated fish cannot
protect a consumer from
becoming sickened.
It is also undetectable
as the toxin is
odorless and tasteless.
With something
like ciguatera, one of
the things that people
do need to understand is
that it’s a mobile toxin.
It’s taken up by fish;
those fish can travel
long distances and they
can travel long distances
by swimming or being
put on a ship or a plane
and being transported
elsewhere.
The barriers are
breaking down and
seafood is being moved
around the world
at an extraordinary rate.
In the last 200 years,
scientists worldwide have
identified five or six types
of ciguatoxin, which
accounts for only half
of the various types
of ciguatoxin.
The constituents of
the rest
still can’t be analyzed
by modern technology.
From this you know that
ciguatoxins are very
mysterious and complex.
There are still
some toxins that
we do not know about.
Some of these toxins
are water-soluble,
and some fat-soluble.
They are mainly found
in the coral reefs.
The toxins may originate
from bacteria, algae,
or plankton algae
in the coral reefs.
The macroalgae residing
in the coral reefs are
eaten by the fish and
the toxins thus stay inside
the bodies of herbivore
and carnivore fish
and are subsequently
consumed by humans.
Ciguatera poisoning
cases that occur
in China or Hong Kong
are always very serious,
because the fish are
usually the bigger ones
weighing about
100 kilograms each.
In Hong Kong, the
restaurants usually buy
the whole fish and serve
it all at the same time to
about 50 to 100 people.
So, all these people
would suffer from
the poisoning at once.
Some sea species
self-produce toxins
for protection.
For example, the skin and
organs of the Pufferfish
are extremely dangerous
as they have tetrodotoxin,
a substance which is
10,000 times more potent
than cyanide.
Consequently handling
or eating a Pufferfish
can be fatal.
Fishing is another
activity that can lead to
death as physical contact
with hazardous marine
species is a possibility.
The toxins of some
marine animals
are not only fatal
through ingestion,
but also by contact.
As there are poisonous
snakes on land, there are
poisonous snakes
in the sea and
they are just as deadly.
In addition to
poisonous snakes,
lots of animals in the sea
are very poisonous.
It is common knowledge
in Formosa (Taiwan) that
the Stingrays are the
most deadly, followed by
the Striped Eel Catfish.
The third most poisonous
is a kind of squid called
Rockfish, and
the fourth kind is what we
call “Stink Belly Fish,”
which is in the north
and in the south we have
the Spotted Scat Fish.
These are the five main
kinds of poisonous fish
in Formosa (Taiwan).
If stung by the first two
or three kinds,
it could be fatal because
their toxins are the same
as poisonous snakes.
They could kill you by
dissolving your
hemoglobin, resulting to
hemolytic symptoms.
A bacteria called
vibrio parahemolyticus is
found worldwide in areas
with brackish saltwater
and is from
the same bacterial family
that causes cholera.
If one eats seafood
contaminated with
vibrio parahemolyticus,
gastroenteritis may occur.
These bacteria can enter
the body by touching
marine life as well.
People who fish for Elops
(ladyfish) can get stung
by the fish,
and their hands
would swell terribly.
The records of
the Mackay Memorial
Hospital show that they
have treated more than
a dozen such victims and
five or six of them died.
However, their death
was not caused
by the fish toxin.
Scientists discovered that
it was due to a kind of
bacteria called
vibrio parahemolyticus
in the sea.
The symptoms of
this kind of infection
resemble that of tetanus.
Together with
the fish toxin, the
bacteria enter the blood
and then the muscles,
and then the brain,
causing meningitis.
The victims would die
in two or three days.
At present there is
no antibiotic available
for the treatment of
vibrio parahemolyticus.
Once infected,
the victim would die
in two to three days.
So we must be
very careful.
Don’t take a fish sting
lightly.
Some take fish liver oil
supplements, thinking
it is good for the eyes.
This is
an incorrect notion,
as the supposed
vision-improving
properties of the oil
have not been
scientifically proven.
About fish liver oil,
at our clinic,
many parents ask us
if they should feed their
children fish liver oil to
help improve the health
of their eyes,
as fish liver oil
contains vitamin A.
Why don’t we
recommend eating fish?
It’s because our entire
ocean is polluted now,
including
our fresh waterways.
The pollution is
very severe.
There is a lot of mercury
and environmental
hormones in the water,
so all the fish have
accumulated a lot of
heavy metal pollutants
and environmental
hormones.
In fact the belief that
eating fish is good
for our eyes
has no scientific basis.
If we want our children
or ourselves to have
good eyes, we can get
the necessary nutrients
from plants.
These food sources are
safer because they have
less contaminants.
This is what we
recommend for eye care.
Usually,
the most poisonous fish
are the bigger ones,
weighing more than
three or five kilograms.
The toxin is usually
in the liver.
They could also be
carrying a concentrated
amount of vitamin A,
such as in the case of
tuna or muraeninae fish,
and thus capable of
causing vitamin A
poisoning.
Actually, plants are
very rich in vitamin A.
The vitamin A in veggies
is in the form of
beta carotene, which
can be transformed to
vitamin A by our body.
So, if we eat veggies that
contain beta-carotene
and let the body transform
it into vitamin A,
this is a safer way to get
this vitamin. Why so?
If we get vitamin A
directly from foods,
the excessive amount will
accumulate in our bodies,
because vitamin A is
a fat-soluble vitamin.
When we accumulate
too much, it will cause
symptoms of poisoning.
Most consumers are not
aware that they have
been poisoned, so they
don’t go to see a doctor.
The symptoms are similar
to influenza,
so doctors often misjudge
and treat it as influenza.
Usually it takes a week
for doctors and patients
to figure out that
it is vitamin A poisoning
caused by eating fish liver
when rashes appear
and the skin starts to peel.
Some consume fish oil
supplements, which are
derived from the tissues
of oily fish,
in the mistaken belief
that they are beneficial
to the heart
as the oil contains
omega-3 fatty acids.
Several experiments,
including the DART-2
(Diet and Reinfarction
Trial) study in the US
have shown that
those who take such
supplements actually
fare worse in terms of
heart health as compared
to those who do not
take such products.
Dr. Liu Teng-Chieh says
that plant-based sources
are superior to fish oil
for acquiring DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid),
an omega-3 fatty acid.
We can also get DHA
from seaweed.
Actually, our bodies
can make DHA.
For example, if we
consume alpha-linolenic
acid (ALA), which is
an essential fatty acid,
our bodies can convert it
into DHA.
What kinds of food
are rich in ALA?
Examples of ALA-rich
foods include soybeans
and nuts such as
cashews and walnuts, etc.
Flaxseeds also contain
a lot of essential
fatty acid ALA, which can
be transformed into DHA
by our bodies.
So, if you want
your children to have
better eyes and strong
and healthy bodies, you
can feed them seaweed,
nuts, soybeans, etc.
Dioxins are
toxic substances
that cause reproductive
and developmental
disorders, cancers and
immune-system damage
in humans.
The World Health
Organization says
more than 90% of dioxin
exposure in humans
comes from consuming
animal products,
including eggs,
fish and shellfish.
Dioxin pollution
can be found on land
and in the ocean and
it happens all over
the world, not just
in Formosa (Taiwan).
Similarly, dioxins
can contaminate fish
through bioaccumulation.
Dioxins can stay in our
bodies for a long time.
They stay in a fish’s body
for almost all of its life.
So once we humans
or fish consume dioxins,
they stay in the body.
Dioxins are a primary
cancer hazard.
They can cause cancer
and immune system
disorders.
One of the most famous
cases regarding dioxin
contamination happened
a few years ago.
It was found that
farmed salmon contained
especially high levels
of dioxins.
Only a few cases like that
have been exposed and
there may be others that
have not been exposed.
To conclude today’s
program,
we feature someone
who experienced
shellfish poisoning who
shares how the event
totally changed her life.
About 10 years ago
I had an allergic reaction
to eating oysters
and my face became
swollen and red.
I sought treatment
from doctors at various
hospitals: China Medical
University Hospital,
Jen-Ai Hospital, Kuang
Tien General Hospital,
and Tungs’ Taichung
MetroHarbor Hospital…
I also tried small clinics
but my condition
didn’t improve.
For more than one year
I went to different places,
for two or three months
each, but nothing
helped me.
Finally,
after some thinking,
I prayed to the Buddha.
I said, “From now on,
I am not going to
take any medicine
or apply any ointment.
Please help me and
let my face recover.
I will begin to be
a full vegetarian.”
Indeed, after I embarked
on the vegetarian diet
the redness on my face
vanished.
I have been
a full vegetarian
for 10 years now.
My skin is fine and
my health is good.
I feel very light and nice.
We sincerely thank
Doctors Lyndon Llewellyn,
Hwang Deng-Fwu,
Yang Chen-Chang,
and Liu Teng-Chieh
for sharing their expert
opinions on the issue
of seafood poisoning
and the toxins hidden
in marine animals.
To avoid the health
conditions we’ve covered
in our two-part series,
please embrace the
healthful, organic vegan
diet which provides
all the necessary nutrients
needed for lifelong
strength and vitality.
For more details
on the experts featured
on our program,
please visit
the following websites
Dr. Hwang Deng-Fwu
www.Toxin.NTOU.edu.tw
Dr. Liu Teng-Chieh
www.PULIVH.gov.tw
Dr. Lyndon Llewellyn
www.AIMS.gov.au
Dr. Yang Chen-Chang
www.VGHTPE.gov.tw
Thank you for joining us
on today’s episode of
Healthy Living.
Coming up next is
Science and Spirituality,
after Noteworthy News.
May we always enjoy
the highest of spirits and
everlasting well-being.