Last week,
the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) assured pregnant women and nursing women that
they should include more seafood in their diets, according to an article on
Wall Street Journal by Bonnie Rochman available here.
The Boston Globe also published an article available here
and ABC WWSB7 here.
A previous blog post on FDA’s seafood guidelines is available here.
The FDA
and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggest these women should consume between
8 and 12 ounces of seafood a week, which is equivalent to two to three meals,
because the health benefits outweigh the likelihood of mercury consumption.
Government
officials set a minimum recommended amount, instead of only a maximum, which has been criticized for not identifying fish with high amounts of omega-3 fats and
minimal amounts of mercury. Most women restrict their intake or avoid
consumption, because of mercury concerns, which can interfere with a baby’s
development, according to Boston
Globe.
In
January, an Environmental
Working Group analysis found that only salmon and albacore tune contained
enough omega-3 fats in 8 ounces of fish to provide ideal health benefits during
pregnancy. The analysis also revealed that albacore tuna contained too much
mercury for pregnant women to safely consume.
“We have
concluded that pregnant and breast-feeding women can increase developmental and
health benefits to their children by eating more fish than they typically do,”
said Dr. Stephen Ostroff, the FDA’s acting chief scientist, “while still
protecting them” from harms caused by too much mercury.
The older
or larger the fish, the more mercury it contains. Fish accumulate mercury in
their bodies as they feed on smaller fish and other sea creatures, according to
The
Wall Street Journal.
Researchers
advise to avoid tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, shark, swordfish, and king
mackerel, which are high in mercury, according to ABC
WWSB7.
For a
complete list of mercury levels in fish, visit the FDA’s site here.
To view
the FDA’s updated guidelines, click here.
For more information on food labeling, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
