Are you a seafood lover? If yes, take heed: fish such as tuna can absorb pollutants dumped into the sea, and when eaten, can potentially disrupt your body's defense against toxin, new research suggests.

Awareness about the negative effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is nothing new. Health advocates have long sought to take away POPs from the environment.

However, it was not until now that experts from the University of California, San Diego have understood exactly how environmental pollutants harm humans.

Negative Effects Of POPs To Humans

In order to find out the effects, researchers tested the ability of a protein called P-glycoprotein to fight against POPs. This is a protein originally meant to defend the body from toxins by removing them.

The team focused on POPs found in human urine and blood, as well as in the muscles of wild yellowfin tuna. All in all, they studied a total of 10 POPs.

Experts previously thought POPs simply passed by the P-glycoprotein in the same way a sneaky customer would slip pass a bouncer in a club.

The findings of the study, however, revealed that POPs actually interact with the protein in order to lessen its power.

One pollutant called PBDE-100 negatively latched onto P-glycoprotein, causing it to fail in doing its job to combat toxins.

Marine biologist Amro Hamdoun, study senior author, said environmental chemicals produce intimate reactions.

But instead of the reactions getting expelled, the chemicals interfere with P-glycoprotein and prevent it from functioning.

Implications

Postdoctoral Research Scientist Sascha Nicklisch, lead author of the study, said the concentrations of POPs in the fat of the tuna they studied were high enough to distrupt P-glycoprotein in the body.

Hamdoun said that when we eat fish that are contaminated with POPs, we could be decreasing the effectiveness of our defense system against toxins.

With that, both Hamdoun and Nicklisch said it is crucial that we consider the possible risks of eating food affected by POPs.

Hamdoun further said this issue is something policymakers and scientists will have to think about very critically, and it is important to ensure that these fish do not end up in the food supply.

"I eat fish and I consider fish to be a very healthy food," added Hamdon. "The issue we are raising is there are some fish that are quite contaminated."

Meanwhile, the team's findings are featured in the journal Science Advances.

Photo : Taro Taylor | Flickr