Seafood Consumption During Pregnancy: The More, the Better?

In 2004, U.S. government agencies advised pregnant women to limit seafood intake to avoid fetal exposure to mercury (Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Apr 26 2004). However, seafood is a major source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid crucial to fetal brain development. Researchers in the U.K. analyzed data from nearly 9000 women who participated in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children during and after their pregnancies. Periodic questionnaires assessed diet, education, social circumstances, and behavioral and developmental outcomes; IQ was measured in nearly half of the children at age 8. Seafood intake during pregnancy was estimated by the women’s dietary recall at 32 weeks’ gestation and wa…