11/05/2014
FDA NEW REPORT on Fish: What Pregnant Women and Parents Should Know!
Draft Updated Advice by FDA and EPA
June 2014
The FDA and the EPA are revising their joint fish consumption Advice and Questions & Answers to encourage pregnant women, those who may become pregnant, breastfeeding mothers, and young children to eat more fish and to eat a variety of fish from choices that are lower in mercury. This is a DRAFT for which you may provide comment. Once finalized, it will replace the current advice which was issued in 2004.
Key Message
Eat 8 to 12 ounces of a variety of fish* each week from choices that are lower in mercury. The nutritional value of fish is important during growth and development before birth, in early infancy for breastfed infants, and in childhood.
Who should know
Women who are pregnant (or might become pregnant) or breastfeeding.
Anyone who feeds young children.
What to do
1. Eat 8-12 ounces of a variety of fish a week.
That’s 2 or 3 servings of fish a week.
For young children, give them 2 or 3 servings of fish a week with the portion right for the child’s age and calorie needs.
2. Choose fish lower in mercury.
Many of the most commonly eaten fish are lower in mercury.
These include salmon, shrimp, po***ck, tuna (light canned), tilapia, catfish, and cod.
3. Avoid 4 types of fish: tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, shark, swordfish, and king mackerel.
These 4 types of fish are highest in mercury.
Limit white (albacore) tuna to 6 ounces a week.
4. When eating fish you or others have caught from streams, rivers, and lakes, pay attention to fish advisories on those waterbodies.
If advice isn’t available, adults should limit such fish to 6 ounces a week and young children to 1 to 3 ounces a week and not eat other fish that week.
5. When adding more fish to your diet, be sure to stay within your calorie needs.
Why this advice is important
Fish contains important nutrients for developing fetuses, infants who are breastfed, and young children. Fish provides health benefits for the general public. Many people do not currently eat the recommended amount of fish.
Note
*This advice refers to fish and shellfish collectively as “fish.”
Questions & Answers
1. Why we are issuing this advice now?
We (the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency) are issuing this advice to encourage women to eat recommended amounts and types of fish. Recent reports show many pregnant women in the United States are not consuming fish in amounts recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. This advice is being issued now to encourage women who are pregnant (or may become pregnant) or breastfeeding and young children to eat more fish and to eat a variety of fish from choices that are lower in mercury. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, the federal government’s evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote healthy eating, now recommends that “women who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume at least 8 and up to 12 ounces of a variety of seafood per week, from choices lower in methyl mercury.”
There is longstanding evidence of the nutritional value of fish in the diet. Fish contain high quality protein, many vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, are mostly low in saturated fat, and some fish even contain vitamin D. The nutritional value of fish is especially important during growth and development before birth, in early infancy for breastfed infants, and in childhood.
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2. Can you provide me with a list of different types of fish and how much mercury and omega-3 fatty acids they contain? The following table provides a list of common fish that can be bought in stores and restaurants.
Common Varieties
Milligrams of Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic (DHA) Per 4 Ounces of Cooked Fish
Micrograms of Mercury Per 4 Ounces of Cooked Fish
Salmon: Atlantic, Chinook, Coho
1,200 – 2,400
2
Anchovies, Herring, and Shad
2,300 – 2,400
5 - 10
Mackerel: Atlantic & Pacific (not King)
1,350 – 2,100
8 - 13
Tuna: Bluefin & Albacore
1,700
54-58
Sardines: Atlantic & Pacific
1,100 – 1,600
2
Oysters: Pacific
1,550
2
Trout: Freshwater
1,000 – 1,100
11
Tuna: White (Albacore) canned
1,000
40
Mussels: Blue
900
NA*
Salmon: Pink & Sockeye
700 – 900
2
Squid
750
11
Po***ck: Atlantic & Walleye
600
6
Marlin
250 – 1030**
69
Crab: Blue, King, Snow, Queen, & Dungeness
200 – 550
9
Tuna: Skipjack & Yellowfin
150 – 350
31 – 49
Flounder, Plaice, & Sole (Flatfish)
350
7
Clams
200 – 300
