On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated its draft advice for fish consumption, adding specific guidelines for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

The FDA and EPA is now recommending that pregnant women eat 8-12 ounces (or 2-3 servings) of fish a week, which will "support fetal growth and development." The difference is that this is the first time that the FDA and EPA have set a minimum on fish consumption.

According to the FDA and EPA, their updated draft advice corresponds with their 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In the past 10 years, "emerging science" has reportedly helped the groups better specify the amount of fish pregnant or breastfeeding women and young children should eat, according to an EPA news release.

"For years many women have limited or avoided eating fish during pregnancy or feeding fish to their young children," Stephen Ostroff, M.D., FDA acting chief scientist, said in the release. "But emerging science now tells us that limiting or avoiding fish during pregnancy and early childhood can mean missing out on important nutrients that can have a positive impact on growth and development as well as on general health."

The FDA studied the seafood consumption of more than 1,000 pregnant women to make its conclusions. During the study, the FDA found that 21 percent of the women did not eat fish the month before. In addition, those who did eat fish ate less than the Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests.

"Eating fish with lower levels of mercury provides numerous health and dietary benefits," Nancy Stoner, the EPA's acting assistant administrator for the Office of Water, explained in the release. "This updated advice will help pregnant women and mothers make informed decisions about the right amount and right kinds of fish to eat during important times in their lives and their children's lives."

According to the advice, it would behoove pregnant women, those who may be pregnant in the near future, breastfeeding women and young children to eat more fish with low mercury levels to aid in "important developmental and health benefits." Therefore, the FDA and EPA are warning pregnant and breastfeeding women to avoid tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, shark, swordfish and king mackerel, which are high in mercury.

In 2004, however, the FDA decided to "shun most seafood," according to Los Angeles Times, and the advice is drawing criticism from some groups.

"Consumers need precise, detailed information about foods that provide sufficient omega-3 fatty acids with minimal mercury contamination," Sonya Lunder, senior analyst at Environmental Working Group, a non-profit environmental group, told Los Angeles Times. "The FDA's new guidelines fall far short of advice that would actually protect these vulnerable populations."

"We'd like to see signs at seafood counter with fish species ranked by their mercury content," Sarah Klein, a senior staff attorney in the food safety program at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, added. "No one knows what the tolerance is for mercury in seafood."
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