I found the abstract from the study that Anonymous may be referring to. Although it did say that both the soluble and insoluble fiber from wheat bran can bind to mercury, it also said:


"An in vitro study of wheat bran binding capacity for Hg, Cd, and Pb." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry; 1999.

Thus, if these heavy metal ions are being released (coming unbound), it seems to me that some of the mercury is likely to be reabsorbed and redistributed. I would love to see a study done comparing the effects of Algin against other fibers. However, it seems more like common sense that if a fiber has gelatinous (gel-forming) properties, it will better absorb metal ions than a fiber that doesn't.

In any case, mercury is primarily eliminated through the bowels, which is why it's very important to keep the bowels moving. This is also why I personally think it's so important to use Algin. Once other chelators mobilize and/or bind to the mercury, the body's detoxification pathways with ultimately dump much of this mercury into the bowels, which, if not entirely eliminated, will likely get reabsorbed back into the blood and redeposited somewhere. Because of Algin's gelatinous properties, it has a special affinity for absorbing heavy metals and other toxins. I personally haven't found other types of fiber to work as well. But, if someone can't take Algin, I would at least recommend lots of fiber, preferably mucilaginous fiber like Slippery Elm, which may have more absorbing properties than dietary fiber.

Good luck!