- Pregnant fish - can you eat fish while pregnant?
- Pregnant fish - the dangers of eating fish during pregnancy
- Fish - which is worth eating and avoiding
- Pregnant fish - which you can eat and not?
- Pregnant fish - canned, smoked
Eating fish while pregnant has unexpectedly become a controversial issue. Fish contains valuable fatty acids, but sometimes also harmful mercury. So to eat or not to eat? - confused future mothers wonder. Of course you eat! Just choose them carefully in advance.
Contents:
- Pregnant fish - can you eat fish while pregnant?
- Pregnant fish - threats
- Pregnant fish - which you can eat and not?
- Canned pregnant fish, smoked
Womenpregnantare recommended to eatfishas they are an extremely valuable source of nutrients, especially omega-3 fatty acids : EPA and DHA that cannot be found in any food other than fish and seafood.
Omega-3 acids affect the formation of brain structures, the functioning of the nervous system, cognitive abilities and the level of intelligence of the unborn child. Research shows that deficiencies in omega-3 fatty acids in utero cause behavioral and cognitive deficits.
At the same time, some species of fish accumulate a strong toxin - methylmercury, which penetrates the placenta and damages the structures of the fetus - as well as other pollutants.
So what to do? Eat fish while pregnant or avoid them? A lot of scientific research has been carried out on this subject and the same conclusion can be drawn from them.
Womenpregnantshould eatfishas the benefits of eating them far outweigh the risks of excess toxins in the body.
Nutrition organizations clearly indicate which fish must be avoided by a pregnant and breastfeeding woman and which should be eaten for the baby to develop optimally in utero.
Pregnant fish - can you eat fish while pregnant?
Fish is a rich source of protein, iodine, vitamin B12 and, above all, omega-3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA.
Numerous scientific studies have shown that the children of women who ate 2-3 portions of fish a week during pregnancy are characterized by faster development, better cognitive abilities and a higher IQ. EPA and DHA fatty acids are essential in the development and functioning of the brain and nervous system.
ZSome studies show that the consumption of fish by a pregnant woman prevents the occurrence of autism in the youngest.
- DHA in pregnancy, necessary for the proper development of the child
Children of women who ate fish during pregnancy reach the next stages of development faster. Generally speaking, at 6 months of age they mimic sounds, raise their heads and recognize their family, while in 18 months they climb stairs, drink from a cup and draw.
In addition, consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of allergies in children, improves the functioning of the immune system, and also prevents premature birth.
Benefits of Eating Fish While Pregnant - Research Findings:
1. The study, published in The Lancet, included nearly 12,000 pregnant women and their children. They were asked questions about their diet during pregnancy and the development of children up to the age of 8.
The women were divided into 3 groups: those who do not eat fish, eat up to 340 g of fish a week and eat more than 340 g of fish a week.
Children of women who did not eat fish during pregnancy were found to account for 25% of those with the lowest IQ and showed suboptimal results in behavioral and social tests. The best results were achieved by children of women who eat the most fish during pregnancy.
2. The analysis carried out at the University of Southampton concerned the behavior of 9-year-old children whose mothers were subjected to nutritional observation during pregnancy.
It shows that children of mothers who eat fish during pregnancy had a 35% lower tendency to be hyperactive. They were also characterized by higher verbal intelligence. The authors of the study sum up that the consumption of fish by a pregnant woman has a small but long-lasting effect on the neurological development of children.
- CALORIES TABLE: fish and seafood. Find out how many calories the fish and seafood have!
3. The next study involved 123 pregnant women who were divided into 2 groups. One continued her diet low in fish, and the other ate an additional 2 servings of salmon a week, which provided 3.45 g of EPA and DHA. Such amounts have been found to have a positive effect on the functioning of the immune system. At the same time, no effect was found on the indicators related to atopy in 6-month-old babies.
4. 98 women with atopic dermatitis were divided into 2 groups. One took a placebo daily for 20 weeks of pregnancy and the other took a supplement with 3.7 g of omega-3 fatty acids. One-year-old children of these mothers underwent skin allergy tests.
The study shows that omega-3 fatty acid supplementationby the mother during pregnancy may reduce the occurrence of allergic reactions in children.
ImportantThe diet of a pregnant woman should include 2-3 servings of fish and seafood per week, 1 serving of which is to be fatty sea fish.
One serving is the size of the middle of a hand (approx. 150 g). At the same time, if you consume a slightly more contaminated fish portion, you should not eat any more fish or seafood in that week.
Pregnant fish - the dangers of eating fish during pregnancy
The greatest risk to fetal development from maternal fish eating is the presence of mercury, which interferes with the formation of the nervous system and the brain. Mercury ends up in the environment as a result of emissions from industrial plants, as well as volcanic eruptions and forest fires.
It has been used in thermometers and fluorescent lamps for decades. When mercury enters the water, the bacteria in it convert the metal into an organic form - methylmercury.
Fish absorb methylmercury from water and by eating other organisms. This compound binds to the proteins in fish muscles and is not removed by heat treatment.
- Heavy metal poisoning - symptoms, causes, treatment
Methylmercury crosses the placenta. Many scientific studies have shown its detrimental effect on the development of the nervous system and the brain of the fetus. Numerous analyzes show that the high mercury content in the body of a pregnant woman deteriorates the child's memory, concentration and attention, as well as the development of speech, motor skills and eyesight. The mercury content in the mother's body can be tested by elemental hair analysis and blood tests.
Methylmercury in fish and seafood
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Species with the lowest methylmercury content | Species with intermediate methylmercury content | Species with the highest methylmercury content |
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It is not only mercury that is dangerous in fish. Other fish high in heavy metals are farmed pangasius and high tilapialead concentration. Farmed salmon and B altic herring are also not recommended for pregnant women because they contain large amounts of organochlorine pesticides and carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
- Lead poisoning (lead) - symptoms, treatment and effects of lead poisoning
The most contaminants are large long-living fish and predators that accumulate harmful substances from several stages of the food chain. The most abundant PCBs are found in fish living in closed water bodies with little water exchange.
An American study of 135 women investigated the relationship between fish consumption, the mercury content in women's hair, and the intelligence of their babies in visual recognition tests (VRM) at 6 months of age.
It was found that higher fish consumption was associated with higher levels of intelligence in newborns. At the same time, a strong influence of the mercury content in the mother's hair on the cognitive abilities of the child was noticed. An increase in mercury concentration by 1 ppm was associated with a decrease in the child's intelligence level on the VRM scale by 7.5 points.
The best results in the tests were obtained by children of mothers who ate more than 2 portions of fish a week during pregnancy and had less than 1.2 ppm of mercury in their hair. The authors conclude that pregnant women should eat fish but choose the species with the lowest mercury contamination.
- Toxins in fish - check which fish are not poisonous
There is a controversy over the birth weight of a child with high fish consumption during pregnancy. Some studies say that mothers eating fish prevents their birth weight from being too low. In 2016, the results of a very large study were published, which included 26,184 pregnant women and their children.
The consumption of fish among women from 15 countries was observed and its influence on birth weight and the risk of obesity in children. Median fish consumption ranged from 0.5 times a week in Belgium to 4.45 times a week in Spain. Eating fish more than 3 times a week was found to be associated with rapid weight gain by
infant and a higher risk of obesity in children aged 4 and 6. Another analysis of possible complications associated with high consumption of lean fish, fatty fish and seafood showed that eating fatty fish and seafood did not complicate pregnancy, while eating large amounts of lean fish was associated with the risk of premature birth.
Fish - which is worth eating and avoiding
Pregnant fish - which you can eat and not?
Fish suitable for a woman inpregnancy should have the best possible ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to contaminants. Such fish should be free or contain minimal amounts of methylmercury, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - the most common and dangerous for the development of the fetus.
Fatty fish recommended during pregnancy, which have a favorable proportion of omega-3 fatty acids to possible contaminants, are sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon, halibut and sea bream.
Seafood has been classified into several categories according to the British National He alth Service organization:
1. Fish and seafood that must be avoided during pregnancy:
They contain high concentrations of methylmercury:
- marlin
- shark
- swordfish
They pose a risk of poisoning:
- raw shellfish and fish
- cold smoked fish
2. Fish and seafood to limit during pregnancy
They contain dioxins and PCBs. You should not eat more than 2 servings a week. It is recommended to consume them in the amount of 1-2 servings per week, because the concentration of toxins in this amount is safe and the benefits of eating these fish outweigh any possible risks.
- fresh tuna
- salmon
- trout
- mackerel
- follow
- sardines
- sea bass
- bream
- turbot
- halibut
- crabs
3. Fish and seafood to restrict while breastfeeding
Maximum 1 serving per week:
- marlin
- shark
- swordfish
Maximum 2 servings per week
- oily sea fish
4. Fish that do not need to be restricted during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- cod
- splitter
- plaice
- hake
- flounder
Pregnant fish - canned, smoked
Pregnant women should not eat ready-made fish products. It is important that the diet of a pregnant woman is as nutritious as possible, and the more processed the food, the less vitamins and minerals it contains, and the more unnecessary food additives.
They should disappear from the diet during pregnancy
- crab sticks
- fish fingers
- various types of salads and canned fish with fish
Tuna and other canned fish are not recommended. Bisphenol A (BPA), a compound that is very harmful to he alth, penetrates into canned food. It has a structure similar to that of female sex hormones. It has been shown to cause changes in maternal and neonatal thyroid hormone secretion during pregnancy.
Irregularities inwork of the mother's thyroid gland affects the development of the fetus. In addition, BPA itself can damage a baby's developing internal organs, causing miscarriage and premature birth. Additionally, the popular canned tuna is a very large predatory fish, which means it contains more toxins than smaller fish species.
Hot-smoked fish during pregnancy are contraindicated due to the possibility of infection with a very dangerous bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, which leads to death in 20-30% of cases. In pregnancy, listeriosis is especially dangerous because it can be asymptomatic in the mother and even lead to the death of the fetus.
Although Listeria dies at temperatures above 60 degrees C, it is better to avoid hot-smoked fish during pregnancy and not eat cold-smoked fish at all.
Sources:
1. NHS, Should pregnant and breastfeeding woman avoid some types of fish ?, https://www.nhs.uk/common-he alth-questions/pregnancy/should-pregnant-and-breastfeeding-women-avoid-some-types-of- fish / 2. NHS, Can I eat shellfish during pregnancy ?, https://www.nhs.uk/common-he alth-questions/pregnancy/can-i-eat-shellfish-during-pregnancy/3. FDA, Eating fish: What pregnant women and parents should know, https://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm393070.htm4. Hibbeln J.R. I others, Maternal seafood consumption in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood (ALSPAC study): an observational cohort study, The Lancet, 2007, 369, 578-5855. Gale C.R. i in., Oily fish intake during pregnancy - association with lower hyperactivity but not with higher full-scale IQ in offspring, The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2008, 49, 10, 1061-10686. Noakes P.S. et al., Increased intake oily fish in pregnancy: effects on neonatal immune response and on clinical outcomes in infants at 6 mo, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2015, 95, 2, 395-4047. Dunstan A. J. I in., Fish oil supplementation in pregnancy modifies neonatal allergen-specific immune responsen and clinical outcomes in infants at high risk of atopy: A randomizeed, controlled trial, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2003, 112, 6, 1178- 11848. Oken E. I in., Maternal fish consumption, hair mercury, and infant cognition in a U.S. Cohort, Environmental He alth Perspectives, 2005, 113, 10, 1376-13809. Stratakis N. et al., Fish intake in pregnancy and child growth. A pooled analysis of 15 european and british cohort, JAMA Pediatrics, 2016, 170, 4, 381-39010. Mohanty A.F. et al., Periconceptional seafood intake and pregnancy complications, Public He alth Nutrition, 2016, 19, 10, 1795-180311. Mania M. et al., Fish and seafood as a source of human exposure to methylmercury,Annals of the National Institute of Hygiene, 2012, 63, 3, 257-26412. https://www.babycenter.com/0_eating-fish-during-pregnancy-how-to-avoid-mercury-and-still_10319861.bc13. http://ciaza.siostraania.pl/ryby-w-ciazy-jakie-jesc-a-z-jakich-zrezygnowac/14. Rochester J.R., Bisphenol A and Human He alth: A review of the literature, Reproductive Toxicology (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2013.08.00815. http://www.e-biotechnologia.pl/Artykuly/Listeria-monocytogenes/