More Fish for Pregnant Women? Seafood Debate Rages

Oct. 4, 2007— -- A group of experts in maternal nutrition and obstetrics announced today a new recommendation that pregnant women should eat at least 12 ounces of seafood per week, a sharp turn from previous Food and Drug Administration recommendations.

The recommendations come as the latest volley in a long-running debate over the safety of seafood for pregnant women. Most of the concerns have centered on whether methyl mercury, a trace element that can accumulate in certain fish, can accumulate to levels that are dangerous to developing fetuses.

The Maternal Nutrition Group, comprising 14 nutritionists, physicians and dietitians from academic centers around the country, made the announcement today together with the nonprofit group National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition.

In the statement, the group recommended that pregnant, breast-feeding and postpartum women consume a minimum of 12 ounces of seafood a week as part of an overall healthy diet -- as long as only 6 of the ounces of seafood per week come from albacore tuna because of its mercury content.

The recommendations stated that ocean fish, including salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel, were an important source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid.

In its statement, the group stated that such fatty acids were essential during rapid fetal growth and development. DHA, in particular, is known to accumulate in fetal brains largely during the late prenatal and early postnatal periods.

"We've looked at the science of how the brain develops and how to improve pregnancy outcomes," said group member Dr. Patricia Nolan, associate professor in the Department of Community Health at Brown University. "We have found there is a lot of evidence that DHA is very important in our developing nervous system."

The group also stated that its review of scientific literature suggested that improved consumption of such fatty acids may lead to improved visual, cognitive, motor and behavioral skills that last into childhood.