Seafood Mercury Guidelines

 

Mommies-to-be may need to forego fish

by Gloria McVeigh

 

If you're pregnant or trying to be, or a nursing mom, any fish you eat may threaten your baby's developing brain. That's because nearly all seafood carries traces of mercury, known to stunt nervous-tissue development in babies and children (with no evidence of danger to adults).

As of July 2004, the FDA recommends that moms, as well as kids under 5, limit eating low-mercury seafood--"light" tuna, shrimp, salmon, pollack, and catfish--to no more than twice a week and higher-mercury albacore tuna (also called "solid white" or "chunk white") to no more than once a week. (Pregnant women should avoid all raw fish to eliminate their risk of parasites and germs.)

 

February 2005.  Prevention Magazine.  www.prevention.com