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FISH LOVERS, FISHING FANS AND PREGNANT WOMEN TAKE NOTE
03/28/2005 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) periodically updates its advisories regarding fish consumption and mercury. Pregnancy News offers detailed information on this topic, along with links to government sites for local information and ongoing advisories. The key parts of the current advisory follow. While issued specifically for pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and children age 5 or younger, this information is undoubtedly of interest to all fish eaters. Note that this information reflects the advice of the FDA and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Goldbecks, who are the providers of this newsletter.
According to the FDA, “By following these three recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.”
1. Do NOT eat shark, swordfish, King Mackerel or tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
2. Eat up to 12 ounces a week (about 1 pound before cooking) of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Albacore (white) tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna and should be limited to no more than 6 ounces per week.
3.Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught in your local lakes, rivers and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces per week of fish from local waters (about 8 ounces before cooking), but don’t consume any other fish that week. For young children, eat no more than 2 ounces of cooked fresh water fish per week (about 3 ounces before cooking).
The FDA also suggests limiting consumption of fish caught in any urban stream to one 5-ounce meal per month or 12 such meals per year.
Eating a variety of fish is recommended to reduce the potentially negative effects of environmental pollutants. Although not mentioned in the FDA advisory, it is better to choose fish that are not farm raised. Farm-raised fish tend to have more fat and calories and slightly less protein. They also may have higher levels of contaminants due to additives in their feed.
For more information on local fish advisories see Pregnancy News. Note that although mercury may not be a problem in your area, there may be advisories about other pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides and other chemicals.
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