Americans Told To Eat Seafood Twice Per Week For Optimal Health; Pregnant, Nursing Women Advised to Increase Fish Intake but Avoid Five Species, Whale Meat
Backed by compelling science that links seafood consumption to reduced risk of disease, the U.S. government this week is recommending that all Americans – especially pregnant & nursing women and children – eat two seafood meals per week that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This recommendation is included in USDA’s 2005 dietary guidelines and is being reiterated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Researchers and medical professionals presented evidence linking the important relationship between seafood and health this week during an international science conference in Washington, D.C. The governments of the United States, Norway, Canada, and Iceland sponsored the conference, with technical assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
“This conference provided us with the opportunity to bring experts together to discuss the important issue of seafood & health, and we learned about many compelling reasons why we should eat two seafood meals per week,” said Bill Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries Service.
“During the conference, scientists and medical professionals told us that the nutrients found in seafood help reduce risk of death by heart attack and prevent a host of chronic health problems and terminal illnesses.”
By eating the right kinds of seafood, pregnant and nursing women pass to their baby important nutrients that aid in brain development and may lessen the effects of dyslexia, autism, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder, according to scientists presenting at the conference.
Studies also have presented a link between these nutrients and increased intelligence in infants and young children. Species that are rich in these nutrients – omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, iron and choline – include wild and farmed salmon, shrimp, pollock, cod, canned light tuna an