Everything's Just Fin

Research funded by seafood industry concludes that moms should eat fish

Posted at 2:40 PM on 05 Oct 2007

A group of scientists affiliated with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) announced conclusions yesterday that new moms and moms-to-be should eat at least 12 ounces of seafood per week to encourage wee ones' brain development. Federal agencies, which advise moms to consume no more than 12 ounces of seafood per week to reduce babies' exposure to mercury, found that fishy. "We are members of [HMHB], but we were not informed of this announcement in advance, and we do not support it," said a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson. The National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Food and Drug Administration were also caught unawares. The new research was funded by (drumroll, please) the seafood industry. Says the executive director of HMHB, "The industry has brought the panel together, paid for their travel to review the science, and they are allowing us to share our message that it's really important to eat fish." And they hope you'll buy that hook, line, and sinker.

sources: NPR, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Washington Post
see also, in Grist: A special series on parenting and health

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Comments: (2 comments)

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better advice on seafood-mercury

Here's a place to go for some unbiased info from Purdue University scientist Dr. Charles Santerre.

http://fn.cfs.purdue.edu/fish4health/Walletcard/walletcar ...

by Mark Powell at 10:46 AM on 09 Oct 2007

ethical problems

It is exasperating that reports in the MSM about eating fish regularly stick solely with the issue of health benefits vs. risks from mercury and other contaminants, and totally ignore two huge ethical problems: the catastrophic state of the world's fisheries, and the inevitable inhumanity that is a part of catching fish and causing their death. We must remember that discussions of the presence of mercury in fish do not come close to saying all there is to say about problems associated with fish-eating.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 12:45 PM on 09 Oct 2007

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