FDA Cautions Pregnant Women to Limit Consumption of Certain Types of Fish.(to help avoid mercury toxins that would cause damage to the brains of unborn babies)

2001 JAN 25 - (NewsRx.com) -- Pregnant women and those who might become pregnant should not eat four types of fish - shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish - because they could contain enough mercury to hurt an unborn baby's developing brain, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) government warned on January 12, 2001.

But the agency rejected calls to also put tuna on the do-not-eat list, saying the other four types of fish contain far more mercury than tuna does.

Women who had swordfish for dinner last night shouldn't panic, stressed FDA food chief Joseph Levitt. The risk comes from mercury building up, not a single meal.

"It is not a one-dose problem.... They should just simply stop eating it from this time forward," Levitt said. "We want to empower women to protect the health of their unborn child and the best way they can do that here is to avoid eating those four kinds of fish."

Fish is widely considered part of a healthy diet; certain types contain high levels of heart-healthy fats. But different types of fish can harbor different amounts of mercury, an element found naturally in the environment and also a pollutant.

Pregnant women can safely eat up to 12 ounces of any other cooked fish a week - from canned tuna to shellfish to smaller ocean fish, the FDA said. Eat a variety, not just one type. Don't eat more than 12 ounces of fish a week on a regular basis and the amount of mercury absorbed won't be worrisome, the FDA said.

When ingested in pregnancy, mercury can damage the central nervous system, leaving babies with slower cognitive development. Critics say up to 60,000 children a year may be affected.