Agency advises pregnant women to eat more fish

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

The Food and Drug Administration, in a change of course, now wants pregnant women to eat more fish. But not the kinds that are high in mercury.

Altering its 2004 advice to shun most seafood, the FDA said Tuesday in an updated report with the Environmental Protection Agency that pregnant and breast-feeding women and young children should eat fish that is low in mercury levels to gain important health benefits.

Those fish — including salmon, trout, anchovies and sardines — are high in essential omega-3 fatty acids. The FDA also noted that pollock, shrimp, tilapia, catfish, cod and canned light tuna are safe to consume while pregnant or breast-feeding.

For the first time, the agency set a minimum amount of fish that should be included in the diets of pregnant and breast-feeding women and young children. Previously, the FDA put a cap on the amount of fish pregnant women and children should eat, but not a floor.