The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee just released a review of what Americans should and shouldnt eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Part of the report advises pregnant women to avoid some fish, such as tilefish, sharks, swordfishes and king mackerels, because of the high amount of methyl mercury they contain. Prenatal exposure to mercury has often stunted a childs neurodevelopment and caused a higher risk in cardiovascular diseases and cancer, according to the review.
Left out of that list is tuna, which is a type of fish that also has high amounts of mercury. The DGAC recommends that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration reevaluate their guidelines for tuna consumption, which advises pregnant women to consume no more than six ounces a week.
The DGAC recommends that the EPA and FDA re-evaluate their current recommendation for women who are pregnant (or for women who may become pregnant) or breastfeeding to limit white albacore tuna to not more than 6 ounces a week, the report read.
Dr. Steve Abrams, who is on the panel for the Neonatal Nutrition Program at Baylor College of Medicine, told The New York Times that the gains of omega-3 fatty acids in fish which the Harvard School of Public Health called essential nutrients for a person's diet far outweigh the risks of mercury.
The goal of the dietary guidelines is to give people a healthy way to eat and not to include or exclude certain foods, Abrams said to The Times. The benefit of having (omega-3 fatty acids) in your diet really exceeds the likely risk of contamination. The point is that you should have a variety of types of seafood and not limit yourself to one type, and variety includes canned tuna.
Researchers, such as Abrams, still say pregnant women should consume a wide range of fish in their diet even though all fish contain higher levels of mercury now than in years past. Mercury levels are at an all-time high because of increased industrial emissions in our oceans, which some fish absorb, according to the Times.
So is it time for pregnant women to embrace tuna? The researchers didnt side one way or another, although Alice Lichtenstein, senior scientist at Tufts University, told The Times that its possible the reevaluation wont provide any change in the guidelines.
Past research has found that tuna and mercury levels can still stall a childs brain development. According to a study from Harvard that investigated 135 mothers and infants, children of mothers who didn't consume high amounts of mercury during pregnancy, but still consumed some, scored better on visual memory tests than the children of mothers who did consume high amounts of mercury. In fact, the children with the best test scores had parents who consumed two or more servings of fish each week, but had very little to no mercury at all in their system.
Consumer Reports also released a report in August 2014 called The Great Fish Debate, which recommended pregnant women avoid tuna at all costs. The report said tuna can cause brain damage, vision and hearing problems in children, according to USA Today.
"We just don't think it's necessary for pregnant women to take any risks, said Dr. Michael Crupain, the associate director for Consumer Reports.
Part of the report advises pregnant women to avoid some fish, such as tilefish, sharks, swordfishes and king mackerels, because of the high amount of methyl mercury they contain. Prenatal exposure to mercury has often stunted a childs neurodevelopment and caused a higher risk in cardiovascular diseases and cancer, according to the review.
Left out of that list is tuna, which is a type of fish that also has high amounts of mercury. The DGAC recommends that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration reevaluate their guidelines for tuna consumption, which advises pregnant women to consume no more than six ounces a week.
The DGAC recommends that the EPA and FDA re-evaluate their current recommendation for women who are pregnant (or for women who may become pregnant) or breastfeeding to limit white albacore tuna to not more than 6 ounces a week, the report read.
Dr. Steve Abrams, who is on the panel for the Neonatal Nutrition Program at Baylor College of Medicine, told The New York Times that the gains of omega-3 fatty acids in fish which the Harvard School of Public Health called essential nutrients for a person's diet far outweigh the risks of mercury.
The goal of the dietary guidelines is to give people a healthy way to eat and not to include or exclude certain foods, Abrams said to The Times. The benefit of having (omega-3 fatty acids) in your diet really exceeds the likely risk of contamination. The point is that you should have a variety of types of seafood and not limit yourself to one type, and variety includes canned tuna.
Researchers, such as Abrams, still say pregnant women should consume a wide range of fish in their diet even though all fish contain higher levels of mercury now than in years past. Mercury levels are at an all-time high because of increased industrial emissions in our oceans, which some fish absorb, according to the Times.
So is it time for pregnant women to embrace tuna? The researchers didnt side one way or another, although Alice Lichtenstein, senior scientist at Tufts University, told The Times that its possible the reevaluation wont provide any change in the guidelines.
Past research has found that tuna and mercury levels can still stall a childs brain development. According to a study from Harvard that investigated 135 mothers and infants, children of mothers who didn't consume high amounts of mercury during pregnancy, but still consumed some, scored better on visual memory tests than the children of mothers who did consume high amounts of mercury. In fact, the children with the best test scores had parents who consumed two or more servings of fish each week, but had very little to no mercury at all in their system.
Consumer Reports also released a report in August 2014 called The Great Fish Debate, which recommended pregnant women avoid tuna at all costs. The report said tuna can cause brain damage, vision and hearing problems in children, according to USA Today.
"We just don't think it's necessary for pregnant women to take any risks, said Dr. Michael Crupain, the associate director for Consumer Reports.
