It’s a debate that’s been going on forever: Should women who are expecting eat fish? And if so, how much? A new article in Consumer Reports recommends that pregnant women avoid tuna all together—but experts and other groups beg to differ.
To fully understand the debate, it’s important to get to the heart of the matter first. The basic problem at hand is that some fish can contain high levels of mercury, which research suggests may be harmful to a developing baby.
Earlier this summer, the FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released draft updated advice regarding fish-eating guidelines for pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding, women who may become pregnant, and children. The guidelines recommend that pregnant women eat at least eight ounces and up to 12 ounces of low-mercury fish per week (that’s about two to three servings). The reason is to support fetal growth and development, explains the FDA and EPA press release.
It also recommends, however, that these women avoid four types of fish entirely—shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico—because the mercury content in them is too high. Plus, they recommend eating no more than six ounces of white tuna per week.
Which brings us to the other side of the debate: The recent Consumer Reports article. Basically, the food-safety experts over there were skeptical about the new FDA and EPA recommendations and took a closer look at the FDA data. Looking at that data, they identified about 20 types of seafood that pregnant women can eat without issue, but they disagreed with the FDA and EPA's stance on tuna: They don’t think pregnant women should eat any.
“We’re particularly concerned about canned tuna, which is second only to shrimp as the most commonly eaten seafood in the U.S.,” says Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for Consumer Union, the policy and advocacy sector of Consumer Reports. Keep in mind this doesn't mean there's any new data showing that canned tuna contains more mercury than previously realized or that new research proves pregnant woman should consume less than the FDA currently recommends; it just means that, given the popularity and the mercury content in most tuna, the experts at Consumer Reports think pregnant women should swap it out for lower-mercury options instead.
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So, um, can pregnant women eat tuna? We asked women's health expert Jennifer Wider, M.D., for her take, and she sides with the FDA and EPA on this one, though she says that it ultimately comes down to personal preference.
“Studies from the FDA and EPA have shown that light canned tuna can be safely consumed in limited qualities, so I think that if pregnant women have an occasional serving of light canned tuna, there will most likely be no detrimental effect on her baby," she says. "That said," she continues, "if you’re a nervous mom-to-be and want to avoid tuna all together, it may be wise to go for more low-mercury fish, like salmon, cod, tilapia, pollock, and shrimp,” she concludes.
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See, light canned tuna has about 14 micrograms of mercury per four ounces of cooked fish, while white albacore tuna has about 40 micrograms, according to the FDA. So as long as you stick to light canned tuna, you're not consuming anything super-high in mercury.
So there you have it! If the conflicting info gives you the jitters, it's fine to pass up tuna all together. But if you're a tuna fanatic, experts say it's okay have no more than six ounces of it per week—but stick to light canned tuna as it's lower in mercury. And of course, talk to your doctor if you're concerned.
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