LOS ANGELES – In an unusual health study, researchers analyzing toxin levels in tens of thousands of toenail clippings determined that mercury from eating fish does not raise the risk of heart disease or stroke.

Health experts have long urged people to eat fish to lower heart risks, but some have worried that the mercury in certain types of fish like shark and swordfish might offset any benefits. Earlier studies on mercury and heart problems in adults have yielded contradictory results.

The latest government-funded work is the largest to look at this question. Instead of relying on what people said they ate, it measured mercury in their toenails — a good gauge of long-term exposure to the metal from fish consumption.

No differences were seen in the rates of heart and stroke among those with the highest concentrations of mercury compared to those with the lowest.

“The average person should eat fish as part of a healthy diet,” and not worry about ill heart effects, said Harvard School of Public Health cardiologist Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, who led the research published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Mercury occurs naturally in soil and rocks, including coal. It gets into the air from coal-fired power plants and other sources, and settles into water. Small fish absorb mercury when they feed on plankton, and they, in turn, are eaten by bigger fish. Older and larger predator fish tend to accumulate the highest mercury levels.

In high quantities, the metal can damage the developing brain and nervous system of young children and is a special concern for pregnant women because of potential harm to the fetus.