Fish Consumption During Pregnancy — Swimming Upstream for the Facts

PR Log (Press Release) – Jul 15, 2009 – Much confusion exists between the health benefits of eating fish during pregnancy versus the contamination acquired from toxins found in fish. So, what recommendations should we give to pregnant women?

The Benefits:

Eating fish during pregnancy is due to the presence of omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.

These compounds have been shown to:

   * Enhance neurologic and eye development.
   * Decrease risk of coronary heart disease.
   * Decrease dementia, cognitive decline, and depression.
   * Increase visual acuity and memory, language comprehension and motor skills
   * Improved birth weight.
   * Prevention of premature labor, increase birth weight and prevention of premature rupture of membranes.

The Risks:

Risks of eating fish are due to the fact that fish can contain mercury, PCB”s (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxins. The latter are synthetic organochlorine compounds resulting from by products from the waste of manufacturing plants. Levels of these compounds depend upon the amount of environmental contamination and the lifespan of the fish—longer living species having more toxins.

   * Neurological abnormalities including brain development, blindness, and birth defects.
   * Delayed cognitive and neuromuscular development.
   * Poor visual recognition.
   * Memory loss.
   * Carcinogenic.
   * Cardiovascular toxicity.
   * Defects in the immune system.

What are the guidelines?
The Environmental Protection Agency has a maximum allowable upper limit of Hg intake of .1 ug/kg/day.

The FDA guidelines for pregnancy:

   * Avoid shark, swordfish, golden bass, and mackerel, tilefish, grouper, marlin, and orange roughy.
   * Choose fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury and higher in omega 3 fatty acids such as flounder, sole, crab, catfish, perch, anchovies, scallops, shrimp, clams, tilapia, sardines, freshwater trout (2–6 oz. servings per week).
   * Canned white albacore tuna should be eaten no more than three 6 oz servings per month as opposed to canned tuna, chunk light, which can be eaten twice a week.
   * Choose variety in fish.
   * Consult local advisories for locally caught fish.
   * Trim belly and back fat during filleting of fish and do not eat the skin.
   * Cook all fish to reduce the amount of PCB and dioxin content.

Conclusion:
It is important to balance the benefits of fish with the toxic implications. The benefits outweigh the risks when fish is eaten in moderation according to the guidelines. Fish also contains protein, Vitamin D, and vitamin B which are healthy nutrients essential for the fetus to grow and develop. Fish also contains selenium which is all-important in pregnancy because it can reduce accumulation of mercury in the tissues.