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Consumer Reports July 2006 issue recently released information on an independent study that noted eating tuna in pregnancy may not be as safe as previously thought. Canned light tuna, long recommended as the safer choice because of its presumably lower mercury content, sometimes harbors at least as much of that potentially harmful heavy metal as white tuna does, according to the new data of the study. That finding raises new concerns about the safety of canned tuna for pregnant women.
Some seafood species however, such as salmon, shrimp, clams, and tilapia--have
such consistently low mercury levels that everyone, including pregnant women
and young children, can eat them safely. Choosing wild salmon minimizes exposure
to a number of other pollutants. Other low-mercury species, including oysters,
hake, sardines, crawfish, pollock, herring, flounder, sole, mullet, Atlantic
mackerel, scallops, crab, and Atlantic croaker, can be consumed anywhere from
once a week to daily.
Pregnant women are advised to follow the FDA recommendation and avoid intake
of tilefish, shark, swordfish, or king mackerel, which are very high in mercury.
We further suggest that pregnant women limit their seafood choices to the low-mercury
species discussed, for two reasons. Some species--including Chilean bass, halibut,
American lobster, and Spanish mackerel--occasionally contain as much mercury
as the most contaminated types, such as swordfish. And some fish have not been
thoroughly tested for mercury.
Given the uncertainties about the safety of even chunk-light tuna, until further
information is available, we think it's prudent for pregnant women to avoid canned
tuna entirely.
For further questions or concerns, please contact us.
-Janet Thurston CNM, MSN
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