Forget those government warnings that urge women and children to limit the amount of fish they eat, says the Food and Drug Administration. The benefits of eating seafood outweigh any health risks and people should eat more fish, regardless of mercury content, says the FDA, which is asking the government to change their health advisory limiting the amount of fish recommended for women and children.
If the White House approves, the FDA would reverse government policy that warns particular groups of people—children, infants, pregnant women, nursing moms and even women who may become pregnant—to limit their consumption of fish. The report, which the FDA sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget, disputed the existing warnings saying that the nutrients in fish, which include omega-3 fatty acids and selenium, could boost a child’s IQ. The “Washington Post” obtained a copy of the report which said that the greatest benefits of fish are realized when the diet contains more than 12 ounces of fish a week, the limit currently advised.
In 2004, both the FDA, which regulates the amount of mercury that can be in seafood sold in markets and restaurants, and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) which investigates and regulates mercury in fish caught recreationally, issued a joint advisory which suggested limiting the amount of fish in vulnerable groups of people as well as advising that same group not to eat four species of fish—swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish and shark—that are high in mercury.
While some agencies denounce the FDA’s report as simply being a pawn of polluters, others agreed with the FDA, saying the benefits of eating seafood outweigh the risks of mercury.
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