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Pregnancy and fish: What's too little — or too much?
Are there other guidelines for pregnancy and fish?
Consider these precautions:
- Avoid large, predatory fish. To reduce your exposure to mercury, don't eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish.
- Avoid raw fish and shellfish. To avoid ingesting harmful bacteria or viruses, avoid raw fish and shellfish — especially oysters and clams — and anything you know was caught in polluted water. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as lox, also is off-limits.
- Understand local fish advisories. If you eat fish from local waters, pay attention to local fish advisories. Larger game fish contaminated with chemical pollutants may potentially harm a developing baby. If advice isn't available, limit consumption of fish from local waters to 6 ounces a week and don't eat other fish that week.
- Cook seafood properly. Cook fish to an internal temperature of 145 F (67 C). The fish is done when it separates into flakes and appears opaque throughout. Cook shrimp, lobster and scallops until they're milky white. Cook clams, mussels and oysters until their shells open. Discard any that don't open.
Are fish oil supplements safer than fresh or frozen fish?
While research has shown that women who take fish oil supplements during pregnancy may improve their children's hand-eye coordination, the findings are preliminary. It's important to keep in mind that fish oil supplements aren't uniformly tested for the presence of mercury. The safety of fish oil supplements during pregnancy also has yet to be established, and more studies are needed before they can be routinely recommended during pregnancy.
What's the bottom line?
Though mercury can harm a developing baby's brain, eating average amounts of seafood containing low levels of mercury during pregnancy hasn't been shown to cause problems. And the omega-3 fatty acids in many types of fish — especially salmon and tuna — promote healthy fetal development. As long as you avoid fish known to be high in mercury or contaminated with pollutants, fish can be a regular part of your healthy-eating plan.
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- Position of the American Dietetic Association: Nutrition and lifestyle for a healthy pregnancy outcome. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2008;108:553.
- Makrides M. Outcomes for mothers and their babies: Do n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and seafoods make a difference? Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2008;108:1622.
- Oken E, et al. Associations of maternal fish intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding duration with attainment of developmental milestones in early childhood: A study from the Danish national birth cohort. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008;88:789.
- What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/advice/. Accessed Jan. 8, 2009.
- Nutrition during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp001.cfm. Accessed Jan. 8, 2009.
- Hibbeln JR, et al. Maternal seafood consumption in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood (ALSPAC study): An observational cohort study. The Lancet. 2007;369:578.
- Dunstan JA, et al. Cognitive assessment of children at age 2 1/2 years after maternal fish oil supplementation in pregnancy: A randomized controlled trial. Archives of Childhood Diseases: Fetal and Neonatal Edition. 2008;93:F45.
- Fish facts: Print-and-go guide. National Women's Health Information Center. http://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/tools/preg_fish.pdf. Accessed Jan. 8, 2009.
- Fresh and frozen seafood: Selecting and serving it safely. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~acrobat/seafsafe.pdf. Accessed Jan. 8, 2009.
- Foran SE, et al. Measurement of mercury levels in concentrated over-the-counter fish oil preparations: Is fish oil healthier than fish? Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. 2003;127:1603.
