The group recommended that women who want to become pregnant, are pregnant or are breastfeeding should eat a minimum of 12oz per week of fish like salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel, and can do so safely. The group found that eating fish is the optimal way to gain the benefits of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Seafood is the richest dietary source of DHA and EPA in Americans' diets. The group also recognized that selenium, an essential mineral found in certain ocean fish, accumulates and appears to protect against the toxicity from trace amounts of mercury.
"The group reviewed recent scientific studies and found a link between ocean fish consumption and advanced cognitive and motor skill development in children," said group member Ashley S. Roman, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the New York University Medical Center, who is also a mom. "Some data also shows a connection with reduced pre-term labor and post-partum depression in mothers who ate ocean fish when pregnant."