The health benefits of eating fish are pretty well-known. A lean source of protein, fish can be a rich source of healthful omega-3 fatty acids and has been shown to benefit heart, eye and brain health.
But for years, pregnant women have been advised to go easy on the fish. The U.S. government advises expecting mothers to eat no more than 12 ounces of seafood like salmon and shrimp, and to steer absolutely clear of bigger catch like swordfish and shark. The reason for this caution: concerns that mercury, found in nearly all seafood, could harm their babies' developing brains.
Now, fresh research suggests that advice might have been too restrictive.
Researchers at the University of Bristol in England have found that eating fish accounts for only 7 percent of the mercury in a person's body. "That was much lower than people have assumed," lead researcher Jean Golding tells The Salt. "It really implies that if women are worried about mercury affecting their children, stopping eating fish will not be beneficial."
The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, analyzed 103 types of food and drink items consumed by over 4,000 pregnant women. The team at Bristol sent blood samples from the expecting mothers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for analysis.
Even if a person were to avoid eating all 103 items analyzed, the researchers concluded, using regression analysis, that would only lower their blood mercury content by 17 percent.
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