Seafood good for pregnant women, study shows..

Seafood good for pregnant women, study says
By Sally Squires

The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — A large study has found that children of women who ate little fish during pregnancy had lower IQs and more behavioral and social problems than youngsters whose mothers ate plenty of seafood, a finding that challenges the U.S. government's standard advice to limit seafood while pregnant.

The study finds "no evidence to lend support to the warning of the U.S. advisory that pregnant women should limit their seafood consumption," concluded the team led by Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a U.S. National Institutes of Health researcher who led the study published in the British medical journal The Lancet.

The study found that children born to women who ate three servings of fish per week or less — near the maximum advised by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency — had lower verbal IQs, more problems with fine motor skills and higher rates of behavioral and social difficulties, compared with youngsters whose mothers consumed more seafood during pregnancy.

The advice to limit seafood consumption is based on concerns that children might absorb too much mercury, which builds up in fish and can cause neurological problems.

"Higher maternal fish consumption results in children showing better neurological function than children whose mothers ate low amounts of or no fish during pregnancy," said Dr. Gary Myers, professor of neurology and pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, in an editorial accompanying the study. "These results highlight the importance of including fish in the maternal diet during pregnancy ... "

The FDA and the EPA say women of childbearing age, as well as those who are pregnant or nursing, and young children should avoid consuming any shark, swordfish, tilefish or king mackerel — fish known to have particularly high mercury levels. They also advise women in these groups that they can "safely eat 12 ounces per week" of other types of fish, but not more.

The British study included more than 14,000 women and about 13,000 of their children who survived to 12 months of age.

Participants filled out food questionnaires four times during pregnancy and answered specific questions about their seafood consumption during the third trimester. Later, they provided information at regular intervals about the diet, education, social circumstances, behavioral and developmental outcomes of their children. The children also underwent intelligence testing at age 8.

To the researchers' surprise, children of women consuming the most fish showed significantly higher verbal IQs at age 8 and fewer behavioral problems than youngsters whose mothers consumed only the amount of seafood currently recommended in the United States or less.

The EPA said Thursday that until the results can be reviewed and replicated, its advice would remain the same.

Message edited 2/16/2007 3:26:43 PM.

Re: Sefood good for pregnant women, study shows..

Well according to that study, my kids will have lower iq's, than my counterparts who eat fish cause i don't eat that much fish

In my view- I am not sure if i believe that just yet, i am keeping that study with the whole PB causing allergies study. But that's just me!

Good to know info for those pg fish lovers though!

ETA: THese studies remind me about the studies they did with eggs over the last 20 years, 1st they are bad for you, then they are good for you, then bad, then good, then bad, now they are the perfect food-Go figure!

Message edited 2/16/2007 10:15:12 AM.

Re: Sefood good for pregnant women, study shows..

Seafood, especailyl fish, is very very good for you in general! I only wish I could make DH eat more fish.

Benji and I both love it but DH doens't even consider it food

However, I do stay away from all the things hi in mercury when I am pregnant. Like tuna, which I LOVE

Message edited 2/16/2007 10:21:29 AM.

Re: Sefood good for pregnant women, study shows..

this is exactly why i think we should eat what we want to eat (in moderation) during pregnancy....the dr's can't seem to agree on anything.

Re: Sefood good for pregnant women, study shows..

I saw this too.
I plan on having some fish now, in moderation of course.

MSNBC link

Re: Sefood good for pregnant women, study shows..

See this makes me crazy because before PG i was a HUGE HUGE fish eater. Since pg i am so afraid to eat fish because i am afraid to give my baby autism! Then, if its not the mercury that they say to worry about its the pcps (?)...and really, how are you *really* supposed to know where the fish you buy or get in a restaurant comes from water wise....

I can't win

Re: Sefood good for pregnant women, study shows..

I don't trust that. Next year they will go back to saying it's bad again. Certain seafood has a lot of mercury in it, and mercury is linked to autism and other developmental delays. You can take supplements that will give you the same results without the mercury.

Re: Sefood good for pregnant women, study shows..

It's the omegas in fish that are incredibly good for you. The mercury content in some fish is cause for concern, but women are encouraged to mega dose on Omegas in their pregnancy.

You can take Omegas in capsule form as supplements, rather than in fish - if you're not a fish eater. They are starting to supplement pre natals with DHA's (which have omegas.)

There is a TON of research on the benefits of eating foods rich in omega 3s (treats depression, heart disease, etc) - but an interesting book is by Dr. Sears (creator of the zone diet) called

the omega zone.