Originally published July 15 2005
Harvard study: Babies may be smarter if mothers eat low-mercury fish during pregnancy
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Most fish is full of omega-3 fatty acids, which, according to Harvard University researchers, can help babies' brains develop if consumed by pregnant mothers, but mothers are warned to avoid fish containing the higher amounts of harmful mercury, such as swordfish, shark and albacore tuna.
A new study by Harvard University doctors concludes that pregnant women can boost their baby's intelligence by eating fish a couple of times a week, but only if they avoid varieties that contain large concentrations of mercury.
Because fish can be healthful as well as hazardous, medical experts have grappled for years with what advice to give people, particularly pregnant women, about how much is safe to eat.
The highest intelligence scores were among the babies whose mothers had consumed more than two helpings of fish per week but whose mercury levels remained under 1.2 parts per million, according to the report published online last month in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Mercury is a natural element found in the Earth's crust, but when released into the air through smokestacks, it spreads globally and accumulates in tissues of animals, particularly fish.
Nearly all fish contains traces of mercury, but large marine species such as swordfish, shark and albacore tuna accumulate the highest levels.
The U.S. Food and Drug Admistration entirely rules out swordfish and shark as well as king mackerel and tilefish, found on the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico, for pregnant and nursing women and young children.
Small fatty fishes such as sardines and herring are especially beneficial to babies because they contain a lot of fatty acids.
Salmon is generally low in mercury and high in fatty acids, but some farmed salmon contains high concentrations of other contaminants, PCBs, which are also risky for babies.
"If the polluting industries, the fishing industry, government officials and our political representatives cannot resolve this mercury problem in our air, water and fish, the supplement industry will be left to resolve it for the consumer."
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