mended maximum amounts of fish these groups should consume but did not pro- mote a minimum amount. “For years, many women have limited or avoided eating fish during pregnancy or feeding fish to their young children,” said Stephen Ostroff, MD, the FDA’s act- ing chief scientist. “But emerging science now tells us that limiting or avoiding fish during pregnancy and early child- hood can mean missing out on impor- tant nutrients that can have a positive impact on growth and development as well as on general health.” An FDA analysis of data from more than 1,000 pregnant women in the Unit- ed States found 21 percent of them ate no fish in the previous month, and those who ate fish consumed far less than the official recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The FDA/EPA draft updated advice
recommends pregnant women eat at least 8 ounces and up to 12 ounces, or two to three servings, per week of a variety of fish low in mercury, such as shrimp, pollock, salmon, canned light tuna, tilapia, catfish, and cod, to support fetal growth and development. “Eating fish with lower levels of mer-
cury provides numerous health and di- etary benefits,” said Nancy Stoner, the EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Water. “This updated advice will help pregnant women and mothers make informed decisions about the right amount and right kinds of fish to eat during important times in their lives and their children’s lives.”
The draft updated advice cautions
pregnant or breastfeeding women to avoid four types of fish that are associ- ated with high mercury levels: tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, shark, sword- fish, and king mackerel. The advice also recommends limiting consumption of white albacore tuna to 6 ounces per week. For more information on the updated draft advice, visit
www.fda.gov/ForCon sumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm397443 .htm. n
Kara Nuzback is a reporter for Texas Medicine. You can reach her by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1393, or (512) 370-1393; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email at
kara.nuzback@
texmed.org.
46 TEXAS MEDICINE September 2014
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