Many people have heard the warning that eating shrimp with fruits or taking vitamin C supplements while consuming seafood can lead to poisoning. Although the reasons behind this are not fully understood, the message is clear: it’s dangerous! But how accurate is this claim?
The theory suggests that seafood may contain arsenic, particularly in the form of pentavalent arsenic, which is less toxic. However, if vitamin C (a strong reducing agent) interacts with it, it could convert the arsenic into a more toxic form—trivalent arsenic, commonly known as arsenic trioxide. This transformation is said to increase toxicity significantly, potentially leading to poisoning.
Yet many people wonder: why don’t I get sick after eating seafood and fruit together? After all, it’s common to enjoy a seafood meal with a fruit salad or a glass of orange juice. So what's the real story?
In reality, for this combination to be harmful, four specific conditions must be met:
First, the seafood must come from an area contaminated with high levels of arsenic. Shrimp, crabs, oysters, and other aquatic products can all be affected. If the water they’re grown in is clean, there’s no risk.
Second, you need to consume a large amount of contaminated seafood. Eating just a small portion won’t pose a threat, even if the seafood has some arsenic.
Third, the amount of vitamin C consumed must be high enough to trigger the chemical reaction. A few pieces of fruit won’t provide enough vitamin C to cause harm. However, taking vitamin C pills at the same time could increase the risk.
Fourth, the timing matters. If you take vitamin C pills right before or after eating seafood, the reaction is more likely. But if you eat them hours apart, the risk is much lower.
In short, the danger isn’t about the combination itself, but about the quantity and quality of the seafood and the amount of vitamin C involved. The LD50 of arsenic is less than 15 mg/kg, and as little as 100–200 mg can be fatal. However, the arsenic limit in seafood in China is 0.1 mg/kg. Even if you ate 10 kg of safe seafood, you wouldn’t be poisoned. Most cases of arsenic poisoning from seafood are due to heavily polluted sources—often hundreds of times above the legal limit.
But even without vitamin C, is seafood safe? Unfortunately, no. If the arsenic level is high enough to be dangerous, the food is already unsafe. Pentavalent arsenic is less toxic than trivalent, but still harmful. Long-term exposure can lead to cancer and organ damage. Moreover, polluted seafood may also contain mercury, lead, PCBs, and other harmful chemicals.
It’s puzzling why so many people are willing to eat such foods, often at high prices, simply because they don’t feel immediate effects. But safety shouldn’t be measured by whether you end up in the hospital—it should be based on long-term health.
Environmental pollution affects us all. The quality of the food on our plates depends on the environment we live in. We all share responsibility for protecting it.
**Expert Advice: How to Eat Seafood Safely**
If you're unsure about the source of your seafood, choose fresh, high-quality options and limit your intake to no more than 100 grams per meal. Include fiber-rich foods like vegetables and whole grains to help your body eliminate heavy metals. As a final precaution, taking a vitamin C supplement after eating seafood may offer additional protection.
Also, remember that seafood is often cold, and eating too much of it, especially with cold fruits, can cause stomach discomfort in some people. This is unrelated to arsenic and more about digestion.
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