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Related: Culture Forums, Support Forums"Prolonged, uncontrollable, oily anal leakage"
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/59-of-the-tuna-americans-eat-is-not-tuna/273410/#.USvjyjzJnF4.facebook59% of the 'Tuna' Americans Eat Is Not Tuna
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http://www.thekitchn.com/use-caution-when-eating-escola-66602
To be frankly and bluntly specific - and I'm sorry for this - consumption of escolar causes explosive, oily, orange diarrhea. People have reported that the discharges are often difficult to control and accidents can happen while passing gas. I personally know someone who ate an escolar steak one night, unaware of its side effects. The next day he was riding the elevator to his office when out of nowhere his bowels unleashed a surprise attack on his pants. As he said later, "Thank God I had my gym bag with me, which had a clean pair of underwear in it." This explains why escolar is also called the "olestra fish" and the "ex-lax fish."
The Japanese and Italian governments have banned the importation and sale of escolar for these reasons. The governments of Canada, Sweden and Denmark require that all escolar come with warning labels. The FDA lifted the escolar ban in 1992 because the fish is nontoxic - sure, it causes embarrassing things to happen in your pants, but it won't hurt or kill you.
In spite of all this, escolar is indeed very buttery and delicious, and should be enjoyed, but never in portions larger than six ounces. Portions below six ounces will not cause gastrointestinal distress. Don't say we didn't warn you.
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http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/facts-faits/escolar-escolier-eng.php
The Issue
Escolar is a type of fish whose muscle tissue can naturally contain approximately 20% by weight of an indigestible oil made up of high amounts of wax esters. This oily substance is named gempylotoxin, after the family of fish, Gempylidae, that escolar belongs to. Humans are unable to digest the wax esters in gempylotoxin, thus they pass through the gastrointestinal system. Although its name suggests otherwise, gempylotoxin is not toxic to humans, but is indigestible, having a laxative effect which can cause dramatic, short-lived gastrointestinal responses in some people. Gempylotoxin is considered to be naturally derived from the fish's diet.
Background
Escolar is the common name for two species of fish, Ruvettus pretiosus and Lepidocybium flavobrunneum. Other common names for these fish species are snake mackerel (both species) and oilfish®(R.pretiosus only). Both R. Pretiosus and L. Flavobrunneum have been misidentified and mislabeled as gemfish, rudderfish, butterfish, sea bass, blue cod, ruddercod and walu.
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Health Effects
Although gempylotoxin is indigestible by humans, not everyone that consumes escolar experiences undesirable symptoms. When these undesirable symptoms do occur, onset generally takes place a few hours following escolar consumption and ceases within 24 to 48 hours. Symptoms, in those who experience them, can include one or more of the following: the rectal passage of an oily yellow or orange substance (called keriorrhoea), diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and headache. Kerriorrhoea is not associated with a loss of bodily fluids and is not considered life threatening.
What is the Government of Canada Doing?
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Ensure that you know what species of fish you are eating. Consumers often report the adverse reactions described above following the consumption of misidentified and mislabeled fish species. Purchase fish from reputable sources and confirm the species of fish with the retailer or restaurant owner if you are in doubt.
While heating does not affect the gempylotoxin, preparing escolar in such a way that as much oil as possible is removed (i.e.: grilling) may reduce the onset or magnitude of adverse gastrointestinal symptoms.
There appear to be individual differences in sensitivity to gempylotoxin, but these differences have yet to be characterized due to a lack of information. It is not known whether certain population subgroups may be more susceptible than others to adverse effects associated with gempylotoxin exposure. Nevertheless, caution is advised for sensitive groups such as pregnant women, children, the elderly, and those with bowel or absorption problems. Such individuals are advised to avoid the consumption of escolar. Limiting the amount of escolar consumed could reduce the severity of undesirable gastrointestinal symptoms, although there is insufficient information available to establish an intake level that would prevent the onset of such symptoms. It is recommended that people consuming escolar for the first time consume small portions so that they can determine their susceptibility to any negative effects from gempylotoxin. What is considered to be a 'small portion' varies between individuals. Health Canada's review of Canadian fish consumption figures estimate that the average adult portion size of a finfish meal is 150 g.
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NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)I can see myself in them!
ashling
(25,771 posts)I go to all this trouble and expense to try and educate you children and this is what I get for my efforts?
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Had some people urging me to eat fish. IDK now...
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)just not this one.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)a great deal of mislabeled fish seems to get peddled.
I eat a lot of salmon, depending on the season. It's pretty hard to fake salmon.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Because people are really freaked about what's going on in the waters they come from, heavy metals and more exciting ingredients. And the people selling the stuff lie nonstop anyway.
I was wondering why tilapia was so cheap they were almost giving it away, then I found out. There are plenty of things in food that can't be cooked out like E Coli, aren't about salmonella or handling. They are polluted internally. The tuna thing is part of this entire corrupted supply chain mess that all food stuffs are coming from.
Dairy is becoming a crapshoot because now they are not telling you what it is - like the Greek yogurt that isn't quite what one thought it was. They add inedible fillers in a lotta stuff.
Even ignoring the ethical matters, the food is questionable and mislabeled. A far cry from going to the store and reading labels and thinking you know anything, that you've made an informed choice.
Tuna was labeled to show that it was 'dolphin safe' for years, but without COO labeling, we don't know a thing. Fish caught on the west coast is taken by boats to Thailand and packed there and shipped back here and there's more to tell. Someone I know whose family owns several of those ocean going fishing ships, the kind that get the fish and process it on board, warned me to never eat any fish sticks or anything like that.
When I asked why, he said that they literally vacuum the ocean bottom and toss that in with the fish, grind it, bleach it and then add breading to hold it together and make it look good. But you will get everything that hits the ocean floor. With whale shit being the least of the problem.
Then there's the freaking ingredients in ground chicken and beef. I can't look at that stuff without being grossed out. I tell friends to not eat anything they can't recognize. This tuna thing is just the tip of the iceberg.
The planet is overflowing with people who have to eat and there's swill for every occassion. Yuck.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)I realize I'm fortunate to live in the corner of the country that I do.
Going vegan is a reasonable choice, of course.
In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)pipi_k
(21,020 posts)Oily Anal Leakage sounds like a pretty cool name for a band
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)Initech
(100,080 posts)NutmegYankee
(16,199 posts)Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)Ya know, there's this one sushi place I used to go to that geve me the runs every time I ate there. I bet this is why. Those effin pant loads.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)Just when I was starting to finally tolerate, if not appreciate, sushi...
Duer 157099
(17,742 posts)You mean a non-pharmaceutical way to achieve the same result as those diet drugs?
cliffordu
(30,994 posts)MiddleFingerMom
(25,163 posts)In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)susanr516
(1,425 posts)Again, you have me in tears.
alarimer
(16,245 posts)MiddleFingerMom
(25,163 posts).
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Gorp
(716 posts)It came out in the mid-nineties, mostly in snack foods like potato chips. I remember reading the warnings a few years later that said, "May cause anal leakage". From then on, "anal leakage" was a meme. To the best of my knowledge, I never so much as tasted a product containing Olestra, but those who did said it made things bland. It doesn't seem to be in use anymore, probably because of all that anal leakage.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)So it's not surprising that the symptoms are the same.
ashling
(25,771 posts)"Thank God I had my gym bag with me, which had a clean pair of underwear in it." This explains why escolar is also called the "olestra fish" and the "ex-lax fish."
Gorp
(716 posts)davsand
(13,421 posts)His partner is a "foodie" (almost an UBER foodie!) and she'd read an article talking only about how good Escolar is. She was in a local fish market (now closed!) and saw they had it in the case, so she bought some to try. Nobody ever mentioned the side effects of Escolar, and the fish market sure didn't mention the suggested serving size. She made a really nice dinner that night and they both raved about that new fish and how good it tasted.
According to his reports, a few hours later they were stricken with what he described as "clothes ruining diarrhea" that was orange and greasy. He said he was absolutely miserable, and coming from a guy that used to jump out of airplanes and who lived on a third world island for a few years, that is saying something...
His partner jumped online and realized what had happened, so she went back to the fish store to have a chat with them. She asked them if they were aware of the issue with that particular fish, and they said, "Well, YEAH!" When she asked why they neglected to mention that tidbit to the customers, they were completely un-repentant. They actually asked her to leave the store and not come back.
She had a lawyer (actually a family friend, but we are the only ones who know this) send the store a letter along with a whopping big dry cleaning bill. Can't say I blame her, either.
Laura
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Trust me.
sakabatou
(42,155 posts)eppur_se_muova
(36,269 posts)Orsino
(37,428 posts)No need to descend to name-calling.