A Fishy Tale

In October, during National Seafood Month, the seafood industry made a big splash in the national news media reporting an industry-supported study claiming pregnant women should disregard FDA’s advice to eat no more than 12 oz. of fish per week during pregnancy. This study and its claims stem from a long line of debate between government officials, consumer advocacy groups and the industry itself, with regard to environmental toxins that accumulate in fish over time.

This push by the seafood industry follows a February 2007 study, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which stated pregnant women who limit their fish consumption to recommended government levels may be doing their unborn babies more harm than good. Researchers found women who ate less than 12 oz. of fish or other seafood per week while pregnant were more likely to have children with verbal and other developmental delays than women who ate more than 12 oz. each week. The findings follow a number of studies showing omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) found in fish and fish oil are required for proper brain development in infants and children. The new NIH study concluded pregnant women should eat at least 12 oz. of fish a week.

The findings challenge guidelines from FDA that advise pregnant women to limit their weekly seafood consumption to 12 oz., or about two average 6-oz. meals. FDA’s advisory stems from concerns that eating more fish could impair brain development by exposing developing fetuses to dangerously high levels of methylmercury.

The question that remains is whether the benefits of consuming the omega-3 EFAs from fish outweigh the risk of mercury that is obtained from eating the fish?

NIH’s Joseph R. Hibbeln, M.D., suggested the risks of limiting seafood consumption outweigh the benefits of such a limit. He also concluded eating more than 12 oz. of fish a week during pregnancy benefited a child’s neurodevelopment.

FDA, has issued two mercury health advisories since 2001. The agency’s advice is clear: pregnant women, and women who are thinking about becoming pregnant, should eat no more than 12 oz. of fish per week, no more than six ounces of albacore tuna and no shark, tuna, mackerel or swordfish.

In an effort to dispute the combined public warning from FDA and EPA, the seafood industry has poured millions of dollars into creating a confusing controversy. This industry-sponsored group is arguing that the benefits of certain nutrients in fish outweigh the risks of mercury, and that pregnant women should eat unlimited amounts of even the most mercury-contaminated fish.

No single, independent public health advisory committees or scientific authority agrees with the seafood industry’s report, despite the media attention it received. Not the American Academy of Pediatrics, nor the National Academy of Sciences, and certainly not FDA. The one thing experts do agree on, however, is that mercury-laden fish should be avoided because they present a real health threat to the developing fetus, and that women should seek other low mercury sources of beneficial omega-3 EFAs.

Many purists will argue and continue to recommend eating fish to achieve optimal omega-3 levels. Unfortunately, contamination of the oceans has made reaching optimal omega-3 levels via eating fish a potential health hazard. FDA and EPA have sounded the alarm regarding the potential dangers of consuming too much fish because of the associated toxins. In addition, several studies have compared levels of mercury and organochlorines in fish versus fish oil supplements and concluded fish oil supplements provide the benefits of omega-3 EFAs without the risk of toxicity.

Many fish oil manufacturers go beyond EPA and FDA guidelines with regard to methylmercury levels in their fish oil products, ensuring safe levels. Potential toxins can be virtually eliminated given the use of high quality raw materials, and a technologically advanced refining process utilizing the very latest distillation technologies.

The bottom line is that pregnant women do need omega-3s during pregnancy. Experts recommend women consume 300 mg/d to 600 mg/d of DHA while pregnant and breastfeeding. Fish oil supplements are a safe and effective way to achieve optimal omega-3 level without unwanted environmental contaminants.

Keri Marshall, MS, ND, is a licensed naturopathic doctor who specializes in holistic pediatrics and women’s medicine. She has published several scientific papers, magazine articles and wrote a book on proteins and amino acids. Dr. Marshall serves as the scientific advisor to Citizens for Health, a national nonprofit consumer advocacy group working to broaden health care options, create an integrative health system based on wellness, and advance the freedom to make health choices. Dr. Marshall received her naturopathic doctorate from the National College of Naturopathic Center in Portland, Ore., her master’s from S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo, and her bachelor’s from George Washington University. She currently serves on the board of advisors for Nordic Naturals (NordicNautrals.com), a producer and supplier of fish oil dietary supplements.

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