No Tuna For You, Pregnant Lady
Tuna has been on the limit list for pregnant women for quite awhile. The EPA/FDA recommendations since 2004 have been to eat no more than 12 oz. of canned tuna per week. But hey, that’s plenty. Within those guidelines, pregnant women could be eating a nice sized tuna sandwich at least every other day. (The EPA recommended that only 6 of those 12 ounces should be white or albacore tuna, which is higher in mercury than light tuna).
But pregnant women may be starting to kiss those tuna melts goodbye, if they’re heeding the new warning from Consumer Reports. After a study of canned tuna in the New York City area, the testers found that at least half the cans of light tuna — and all the cans of white tuna— contained enough mercury to exceed the daily mercury intake considered safe by the FDA. The big problem, according to Consumer Reports, isn’t just with the average can of fish. It’s with the spike in mercury content that occurs in the occasional can. Averages, after all, are made of a mix of highs, lows and in-betweens. So what happens when you get one of the cans on the high end of the spectrum?
In order to prevent the (unknown) risk of consuming a larger quantity of mercury, the magazine recommends that pregnant women take tuna fish off the menu entirely.
“Every sample that Consumer Reports tested had measurable levels of mercury, ranging from 0.018 to 0.774 parts per million (ppm). Samples of white tuna ranged from 0.217 ppm to 0.774 ppm and averaged 0.427 ppm — enough that by eating 2.5 ounces of any of the tested samples, a woman would exceed the daily mercury intake considered safe by the EPA.”
The magazine also recommended that small children avoid white tuna and limit light tuna intake much more drastically than the EPA/FDA had originally recommended. The EPA/FDA recommendations have been criticized for being too soft and supportive of fisheries at the expense of public health. But then, studies have shown that the Omega 3 oils found in fish are of such substantial benefit to fetal brain development that cutting down on fish consumption could present a risk in itself.
There are other reasons to cut down on tuna. Our appetite for the mild-flavored, meaty fish has made it an endangered species.
Tilapia salad sandwich, anyone?
For more on the new tuna warnings, see here.
photo: RatRanch/flickr
Of course pregnant women should take every precaution necessary, if you do want your tuna fix and the benefits of the Omega 3s it provides, keep an eye out for sustainable tuna. Sustainable tuna, like that from Wild Planet Foods, is sourced from pristine waters in the North Atlantic where the fish are smaller, therefore contain less than half the mercury found in large national brands. This process also leaves no bycatch, leaving our oceans in tact!
My wife and I just had twins. During her pregnancy, we stayed away from Tuna and a few other types of fish…so agree with your points. But it’s irresponsible to publish anti-fish messages without talking about Omega-3 and alternative sources of it. More than half the baby’s brain is Omega-3. May be I’m beating a dead horse, but as a nation, we’re still awfully deficient in Omega-3. Like the national debt, our kids and their kids will pay for it. I shared some of our pregnancy and Omega-3 experiences here on my blog: http://www.omegavia.com/fish-oil-during-pregnancy/
Vin, thanks for your comment. I did raise the Omega-3 question in this post:
“But then, studies have shown that the Omega 3 oils found in fish are of such substantial benefit to fetal brain development that cutting down on fish consumption could present a risk in itself.”
An excellent resource for learning more about mercury in tuna and other types of seafood is the public health project GotMercury.org. Their mercury calculator allows you to see how much mercury may be in the fish you are eating
Yes, I’ve had tuna, mostly ahi, mostly raw, in moderation. It’s one of the few things I craved, so I made sure it was super fresh and prepared well by someone I knew and trusted. Millions of Japanese women can’t all be wrong.
You had me at the headline.
Hi – Quite a few people are confused about this, and as a dietitian with the National Fisheries Institute, I’d love to clear the water. Here’s the official seafood advice from the Food and Drug Administration and Institute of Medicine:
-For the general population: Eat a variety of fish twice a week, and there are no fish to limit or avoid because of mercury.
-For women who are or may become pregnant, nursing moms, and young kids: The nutrients in fish are especially important for you, so eat a variety of fish twice a week. Half (6 ounces) of the fish you eat every week can be white albacore tuna. There are four fish to avoid that you probably aren’t eating anyway: shark, tilefish, king mackerel, and swordfish.
The more we learn about the good things eating fish does for your body, the more doctors and dietitians are focusing on the health risks of not eating enough fish. One of the most important studies to date on this issue found “Avoidance of modest fish consumption due to confusion regarding risks and benefits could result in thousands of excess CHD [heart disease] deaths annually and suboptimal neurodevelopment in children.”
Recently the World Health Organization encouraged guidance that “Emphasizes the neurodevelopment benefits to offspring of fish consumption by women of childbearing age, particularly pregnant women and nursing mothers, and the neurodevelopment risks to offspring of such women not consuming fish.”
By suggesting limited consumption of a food numerous prestigious science-based organizations are calling on people to eat more of, Consumer Reports marks itself as a truly non-credible source for nutrition advice. Consumer Reports is not a health or nutrition organization and its recommendations about canned tuna consumption are out of step with mainstream science and nutrition advice.
For a look at what plenty of seafood looks like in the real-life diet of a registered dietitian (me!) visit my BlogAboutSeafood.
Sincerely,
Jennifer McGuire, MS, RD
National Fisheries Institute
More info:
http://www.blogaboutseafood.com
http://tinyurl.com/2g2ohm
http://tinyurl.com/y8nj9e7
http://tinyurl.com/lgu882
http://tinyurl.com/2vwtonn
I LOVE tuna! Why oh why….
so tuna is not safe? *sigh*sigh*sigh* if it’s not safe for pregnant women, what about for the others? since the mercury level is THAT high, will it not affect the health of other consumers too? i am confused.