New Study Advises Pregnant Women to Eat Enough Fish

One day we get a study saying eating fish during pregnancy can lead to brainy child and next day some other contradictory study pours in warning pregnant women to limit their fish intake citing high mercury levels in oily fish, thus making one confused what to believe and what not to.

Now, a nonprofit group backed by the seafood industry says pregnant women and nursing mothers should eat at least 12 ounces (340 grams) of fish or seafood per week, again contradicting US government’s recommendations.

In 2004 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) jointly advised pregnant and nursing women to limit the consumption of fish, shellfish or other seafood to 340 grams a week because of concerns about levels of toxic mercury in fish.

On contrary, the recent study by the Maternal Nutrition Group, including several federal agencies, says that advice to inhibit seafood intake could actually be injurious to a child's health, arguing that the benefits for infant brain development outweigh the concerns about the risks posed by trace amounts of mercury.

Totally disagreed with the current advice from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the group of 14 obstetricians and nutritionists said women who avoid seafood to limit exposure to mercury in fact deprive their babies and themselves of essential nutrients.

The group recommended that women who want to become pregnant, are pregnant or are breastfeeding should eat a minimum of 12 ounces per week of ocean fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel, which according to the group are an important source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid.

"The debate about mercury in fish and an FDA/EPA advisory have created confusion for pregnant women, causing a reduction in their fish consumption," said the group of obstetricians and nutritionists. "This leads to inadequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids resulting in risks to their health and the health of their children," it added.

Maternal Nutrition Group’s recommendations were issued in partnership with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition that received $60,000 from a seafood industry trade group, the National Fisheries Institute to promote their report.

The members of the group include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agriculture Department, the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and others.

“We know from our research that pregnant women are concerned about eating seafood and hope that our science-based recommendations will give women who are pregnant, nursing or planning to become pregnant, the confidence that they are doing the right thing for their health — and the health of their children — by including fish in their diets,” said Dr. Roger Newman, professor and Vice Chairman for Academic Affairs & Women’s Health Research Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of South Carolina.

In February this year, a joint British and American study suggested that eating fish during pregnancy could help expecting mothers improve their children’s early development and IQs, seemingly in contradiction with earlier U.S. researches which suggested pregnant women to limit their intake of seafood to avoid exposing fetus to mercury levels that restrict brain development in young children.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health, the University of Bristol in Britain, and the University of Illinois-Chicago at the time said seafood is a key source of omega-3 fatty acids, which is super beneficial for fetal brain development.

Proper care must be taken on dietary plan as it affects the development of the baby. Some foods to avoid during pregnancy period are raw meat, deli meat, raw eggs, unpasteurized milk and soft cheese. There are some fish groups that can be consumed in moderation by women during pregnancy such as cod, catfish, clam, scallops, flatfish, crabs and tuna.