Seafood in pregnancy (2007)
This study investigated seafood in pregnancy. For a number of years pregnant women or those planning pregnancy have been warned by numerous government agencies and medical associations to keep seafood intake to a minimum to avoid mercury, which can affect brain development and is found in many species of fish and other sea animals.
However, the benefits of omega 3 may outweigh the risks in pregnancy. A survey of 11,875 pregnant women found that those who ate less than 340 grams (3 servings) of seafood per week in pregnancy had more adverse outcomes. Beneficial effects on child development were recorded in those pregnancies where the mother’s seafood intake was greater than 340 g per week, suggesting that a review on current recommendations for seafood consumption could be warranted.
JR Hibbeln et al., ‘Maternal seafood consumption in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood (ALSPAC study): an observational cohort study’, The Lancet, 369:578-585, 2007