Comments on: High mercury levels in sushi http://blogs.babiesonline.com/current-events/high-mercury-levels-in-sushi/ News & Information about parenting, pregnancy, and Babies Online's services Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:40:33 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Dawn Allcot http://blogs.babiesonline.com/current-events/high-mercury-levels-in-sushi/comment-page-1/#comment-1340 Dawn Allcot Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:55:03 +0000 http://blogs.babiesonline.com/2008/02/19/high-mercury-levels-in-sushi/#comment-1340 Pregnant women shouldn't be eating sushi anyway, from what I've read, because there is a higher chance of food poisoning, just as with any raw foods. Only in sushi that's bad, of course, but it's one of the "riskier" foods to eat, in that regard. Gavin, informative comment. Thanks for clarifying. Pregnant women shouldn’t be eating sushi anyway, from what I’ve read, because there is a higher chance of food poisoning, just as with any raw foods. Only in sushi that’s bad, of course, but it’s one of the “riskier” foods to eat, in that regard.

Gavin, informative comment. Thanks for clarifying.

]]> By: Hillary http://blogs.babiesonline.com/current-events/high-mercury-levels-in-sushi/comment-page-1/#comment-1337 Hillary Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:21:49 +0000 http://blogs.babiesonline.com/2008/02/19/high-mercury-levels-in-sushi/#comment-1337 This doesn't turn me off to sushi... just the tuna kind. I was told by my OB/GYN that tuna is okay in small quanities, but not to make it my sole food! This doesn’t turn me off to sushi… just the tuna kind.

I was told by my OB/GYN that tuna is okay in small quanities, but not to make it my sole food!

]]> By: Science-mom http://blogs.babiesonline.com/current-events/high-mercury-levels-in-sushi/comment-page-1/#comment-1328 Science-mom Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:46:24 +0000 http://blogs.babiesonline.com/2008/02/19/high-mercury-levels-in-sushi/#comment-1328 Thank you for the clarification. And I apologize if this post turned people off fish. That wasn`t my attention. Lesson learned: we shouldn`t believe everything that`s on the news including those reported by respected papers like the New York Times. Thank you for the clarification. And I apologize if this post turned people off fish. That wasn`t my attention. Lesson learned: we shouldn`t believe everything that`s on the news including those reported by respected papers like the New York Times.

]]> By: Gavin Gibbons http://blogs.babiesonline.com/current-events/high-mercury-levels-in-sushi/comment-page-1/#comment-1324 Gavin Gibbons Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:03:36 +0000 http://blogs.babiesonline.com/2008/02/19/high-mercury-levels-in-sushi/#comment-1324 Your readers deserve balanced, well informed nutrition and medical information and reporting on the New York Times recent assessment of concerns about mercury in seafood provides them neither. The Times story has been thoroughly discredited for its lack of balance and its failure to include the latest scientific research. In Sunday February 17th edition of the Times the paper?s own Public Editor criticized the story calling it ?less balanced than it should have been,? and an article that ?required careful judgment? and missed.? The Times has already run one correction and independent sources from Time Magazine and Slate.com to the Center for Independent Media have discredited the story. At a time when the average American eats about 16 lbs of seafood a year, when health professionals suggest eating 39 lbs, we can hardly afford to unnecessarily scare consumers away from a product that proven-science tells us aids in the fight against Alzheimer?s disease, combats obesity and can reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack by 36%. Harvard researcher Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian put it this way in Time Magazine, ?we are experimenting with people's lives when we give recommendations or write stories or reports that make people eat less fish.? The US Food and Drug Administration advice for women who are or may become pregnant is very clear that fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. And because of seafood?s role in building healthy hearts and brains, women and young children in particular should include fish or shellfish in their diets. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html Women in this category are encouraged to eat 12 ounces of seafood per week, of which six ounces can be albacore tuna. They should avoid shark, king mackerel, tilefish, and swordfish. You are correct that ?raw tuna? was not mentioned in the advisory but that is likely because, as a precaution, pregnant women are advised to steer clear of all raw animal protein to prevent food borne illness. Gavin Gibbons National Fisheries Institute Your readers deserve balanced, well informed nutrition and medical information and reporting on the New York Times recent assessment of concerns about mercury in seafood provides them neither. The Times story has been thoroughly discredited for its lack of balance and its failure to include the latest scientific research. In Sunday February 17th edition of the Times the paper?s own Public Editor criticized the story calling it ?less balanced than it should have been,? and an article that ?required careful judgment? and missed.? The Times has already run one correction and independent sources from Time Magazine and Slate.com to the Center for Independent Media have discredited the story. At a time when the average American eats about 16 lbs of seafood a year, when health professionals suggest eating 39 lbs, we can hardly afford to unnecessarily scare consumers away from a product that proven-science tells us aids in the fight against Alzheimer?s disease, combats obesity and can reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack by 36%. Harvard researcher Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian put it this way in Time Magazine, ?we are experimenting with people’s lives when we give recommendations or write stories or reports that make people eat less fish.? The US Food and Drug Administration advice for women who are or may become pregnant is very clear that fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. And because of seafood?s role in building healthy hearts and brains, women and young children in particular should include fish or shellfish in their diets. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html Women in this category are encouraged to eat 12 ounces of seafood per week, of which six ounces can be albacore tuna. They should avoid shark, king mackerel, tilefish, and swordfish. You are correct that ?raw tuna? was not mentioned in the advisory but that is likely because, as a precaution, pregnant women are advised to steer clear of all raw animal protein to prevent food borne illness.

Gavin Gibbons
National Fisheries Institute

]]>