PREGNANT WOMEN AVOID TUNA
In a new review of seafood safety, Consumer Reports is
advising that pregnant women avoid eating tuna due to concerns about mercury
exposure.
“We’re particularly
concerned about canned tuna, which is second only to shrimp as the most
commonly eaten seafood in the United States. We encourage pregnant women to
avoid all tuna,” Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for
Consumers Union, the advocacy division of Consumer Reports, said in a news
release from the group.
While pregnant women and children are at greatest risk from
mercury in seafood, anyone can be at risk if they eat too much seafood with
high mercury levels, Consumer Reports noted.
Adults who eat 24 ounces (1.5 pounds) or more of seafood per
week should also avoid seafood with high mercury levels, including sushi made
with tuna, the independent product testing group said.
On the other hand, there are nearly 20 types of seafood that
people — even pregnant women and children — can eat several times a week
without worrying about mercury exposure, according to Consumer Reports.
While fish and other seafood contain healthy omega-3 fatty
acids and other nutrients, many people are concerned that these foods contain
high levels of mercury, which can damage the brain and nervous system.
In its review, Consumer Reports analyzed U.S. Food and Drug
Administration data on mercury levels in various types of seafood. The group
identified about 20 types of seafood that can be consumed several times a week
without raising concerns about mercury exposure.
Seafood with the lowest mercury levels include wild salmon,
scallops, shrimp (most wild and U.S. farmed) and tilapia. Other seafood with
low-mercury levels include catfish, crab, trout, flounder and sole (flatfish),
according to the report that appears in the October issue of Consumer
Reports magazine.
Newly updated guidelines from the FDA and Environmental
Protection Agency say that women of childbearing age and young children should
not eat the four types of fish with the highest mercury levels: swordfish,
shark, king mackerel and tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico. The agencies are
also considering adding marlin and orange roughy to that list, according to
Consumer Reports.
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