Scientist questions the FSA’s advice on fish
“Fish consumption should be encouraged,” said Sean Strain, professor of human nutrition and director for the Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health.
“There is negligible risk from methylmercury and other contaminants.” He added that there is also emerging evidence that the long chain omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish assisted the development of the brains of children born to mothers who consume higher quantities of fish.
“Evidence suggests the benefits of fish consumption outweigh the risks posed through methylmercury consumption,” said Strain.
Doubts about the risks
Giving the British Nutrition Foundation’s annual lecture in London late last year, Strain poured doubt on the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) advice to pregnant women about the risks of absorbing high levels of toxins such as methylmercury through fish.
“On [the FSA] website there are recommendations saying fish is good for you and fish is good for pregnancy,” said Strain. “But they also give warnings; they say avoid eating any of these fish [shark, swordfish and marlin], which are at the top of the food chain. And then there is very complicated consumer advice on tuna sandwiches.”
He suggested this was confusing and highlighted the US where similar advice had inhibited fish consumption during pregnancy. He described some of the advice in the US as “really scaremongering in the extreme” about the risks of methylmercury from fish.
Strain’s presentation, titled ‘Eating fish for two’, covered research on maternal fish consumption and the potentially toxic effects of taking in high levels of toxins such as methylmercury on foetal development. Methylmercury is an organic form of mercury found in the food chain.
Damaging effects
He outlined its potentially damaging effects on foetal development but described the results of studies in the Seychelles on eating ocean fish. These showed that the risks for pregnant women whose diet is high in fish was low.
“There are no direct adverse effects … overall substances in these long-chain omega-3 fatty acids seem to be impacting on child development and modifying methylmercury toxicity,” said Strain.
“From a nutritional point of view, we would consider mercury to be a hypothetical risk. But, from a toxicologist’s view, the whole fish is risky and should not be touched.”
