Is There Mercury in Fish-Oil Capsules?

A. No. "Most studies on fish products have been very reassuring," says Brent Bauer, MD, director of the complementary and integrative medicine program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. When researchers at ConsumerLab.com, an independent testing company in White Plains, New York, examined more than 50 different fish oils, they found that none were contaminated -- probably because toxins tend to accumulate in the muscles of fish, not the oil. Plus, supplements are generally made from species that are lower in mercury, like sardines and anchovies.

Got a question about food or weight loss? Send us an e-mail at

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, May 2010.