12th October 2006
Eating too much oily fish during pregnancy can increase the risk of premature birth.
The report, by Dr Fei Xue and colleagues , is published
in New Scientist magazine.
They suggest that their findings are probably due to the
high levels of mercury found in some fish.
The study, which looked at 1,024 pregnant women living in
Michigan, the US, found that those who delivered their baby more than
two weeks early were three times as likely to have double the average
mercury level in their hair samples.
They also tended to eat more oily fish during pregnancy.
Current recommendations by the Food Standards Agency recommend
that pregnant women eat two portions of oily fish a week, but avoid fish
such as shark, marlin and swordfish which are particularly high in mercury
and other pollutants.
Oily fish are high in beneficial fats such as omega 3 and
have been shown to boost the birth weight and brain power of babies.
However, the research was small scale, with only 44 of the
1,024 women giving birth prematurely.
The researchers also said there was room for error as the
mothers were asked to recall how much fish they had eaten.
They also said the mothers could have been exposed to mercury
from other sources and said more work was needed to corroborate their
findings.
Dr Xue said until the risks become clearer, women could
take fish oil supplements instead.
A spokeswoman from the British Nutrition Foundation said,
“If pregnant women do decide to take supplements, it is important to read
the label and check that the supplement does not contain high amounts
of vitamin A (retinol).
“Too much retinol can be toxic to the developing baby.”
Where to next?
- Do you eat oily fish? Share
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