A new study has found that eating fish during pregnancy may not be so bad after all. When women are pregnant, they are very mindful about what they are putting in their bodies. They know that they need to look out for their health, and the health of their baby. This means that they are following the official guidelines set out by their country’s leading medical experts.
They stay away from soft cheese, excessive caffeine, and fish. Fish has been something that women are told to stay away from fish due to the excessive mercury that can be found in it. They make sure their fish is fully cooked, and that they limit their intake of certain kinds. However, could this all be for nothing?
According to Medical Xpress, a new study is suggesting that guidelines need to change when it comes to consuming fish when pregnant, as it may not be that bad. This study was done by the University of Bristol, and it can be read in full here.
The study found that a woman’s mercury levels during pregnancy are not likely to have a negative effect on the development of the baby, as long as the mother routinely ate fish before becoming pregnant.
To complete this study, they looked at more than 4,000 pregnant women and their children from the ’90s. They also found that the type of fish may not matter because the health benefits could counteract any possible negative interactions. This study goes against previous guidance that tells women to stay away from fish that are high in mercury when they are pregnant. They focused on women who live in Seychelles, and that was because their diet is primarily fish. These women grew up eating fish and did not stop eating it when they were pregnant.
They found that their babies were at no higher risk of negative development due to the fish that was consumed. The problem can be that women often stay away from all fish when pregnant to “be on the safe side,” but they are then missing out on the benefits of fish to their baby’s development, like their eyesight and cognitive development. It may be time for a review to be done of these guidelines to see if they should be changed, and women may have some comfort in knowing that if they regularly consume fish, they are at no greater risk when pregnant.
Sources: Medical Xpress, Science Direct