(Press-News.org) New research from the Children of the 90s study at the University of Bristol suggests that fish accounts for only seven per cent of mercury levels in the human body. In an analysis of 103 food and drink items consumed by 4,484 women during pregnancy, researchers found that the 103 items together accounted for less than 17 per cent of total mercury levels in the body.
Concerns about the negative effects of mercury on fetal development have led to official advice warning against eating too much fish during pregnancy. This new finding, published today in Environmental Health Perspectives, suggests that those guidelines may need to be reviewed.
Previous research by Children of the 90s has shown that eating fish during pregnancy has a positive effect on the IQ and eyesight of the developing child, when tested later in life. Exactly what causes this is not proven, but fish contains many beneficial components including iodine and omega-3 fatty acids.
After fish (white fish and oily fish) the foodstuffs associated with the highest mercury blood levels were herbal teas and alcohol, with wine having higher levels than beer. The herbal teas were an unexpected finding and possibly due to the fact that herbal teas can be contaminated with toxins.
Another surprise finding was that the women with the highest mercury levels tended to be older, have attended university, to be in professional or managerial jobs, to own their own home, and to be expecting their first child. Overall, however, fewer than one per cent of women had mercury levels higher than the maximum level recommended by the US National Research Council. There is no official safe level in the UK.
The authors conclude that advice to pregnant women to limit seafood intake is unlikely to reduce mercury levels substantially.
Speaking about the findings, the report's main author, Professor Jean Golding OBE, said:
'We were pleasantly surprised to find that fish contributes such a small amount (only seven per cent) to blood mercury levels. We have previously found that eating fish during pregnancy has many health benefits for both mother and child. We hope many more women will now consider eating more fish during pregnancy. It is important to stress, however, that pregnant women need a mixed balanced diet. They should include fish with other dietary components that are beneficial including fruit and vegetables.'
###
Notes to editors
1. The paper, Golding J et al, 'Dietary predictors of maternal prenatal blood mercury levels in the ALSPAC birth cohort study is published today [1 October 2013] in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1206115. It can be downloaded here. https://fluff.bris.ac.uk/fluff/u3/indoh/S2cgxcFdZbLKonHP0Dut9QHrj/
2. Professor Jean Golding OBE is available for interview. For all media enquiries, contact Dara O'Hare, communications manager at Children of the 90s on +44(0)117 331 0077, +44 (0)7891 549144 or email dara.ohare@bristol.ac.uk except on Friday 27 September when Professor Golding can be contacted directly on +44(0)117 331 0198 or email jean.golding@bristol.ac.uk.
3. Funding for this research was provided by the National Seafood Inspection Laboratory of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
4. Children of the 90s (also known as ALSPAC) has been charting the health and wellbeing of over 14,500 children since they were born in the early 1990s. It is funded by the UK Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the University of Bristol.
5. Diet is only one source of mercury. Mercury can also be absorbed from water and air and is present in dental amalgam fillings, beauty products, legal drugs (like alcohol and tobacco), illegal drugs, and from medications.
6. Major sources of mercury include refuse incineration, fossil fuel combustion, and fungicides and pesticides. It has been estimated that 9.9 tons of mercury are deposited on the UK from the atmosphere each year.
Concerns over mercury levels in fish may be unfounded
2013-10-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Stanford-developed technique induces egg growth in infertile women, and 1 gives birth
2013-10-01
STANFORD, Calif. — Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a way to induce the ovaries of some infertile women to produce eggs.
Using the technique, clinicians at the St. Marianna University School of Medicine in Kawasaki, Japan, collected viable eggs from five women with a condition called primary ovarian insufficiency. One of these women has given birth to a healthy baby, and another is pregnant.
Twenty-seven women in Japan took part in the experimental study. The researchers were able to collect mature eggs for in vitro fertilization ...
When ICUs get busy, doctors triage patients more efficiently, Penn study finds
2013-10-01
PHILADELPHIA— A new study by Penn Medicine researchers published Oct. 1 in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that busy intensive care units (ICUs) discharge patients more quickly than they otherwise would and do so without adversely affecting patient outcomes – suggesting that low-value extensions of ICU stays are minimized during times of increased ICU capacity strain.
An expected growth in the number of patients requiring critical care resources combined with a projected shortage in critical care providers will likely result in ICUs operating under conditions of ...
Less blood clot risk is linked to estradiol than to Premarin pills
2013-10-01
SEATTLE—Women can choose among several types of estrogen pills, which are equally effective at relieving menopausal symptoms. But in an observational study of comparative safety, use of estradiol was associated with less risk of developing blood clots in leg veins (deep vein thrombosis) and clots in the lungs (pulmonary emboli) than was use of conjugated equine estrogens. According to a joint University of Washington (UW)–Group Health study in JAMA Internal Medicine, women patients of Group Heath who were prescribed a generic version of estradiol—a bio-equivalent estrogen—experienced ...
Study compares 2 commonly used estrogen drugs and cardiovascular safety
2013-10-01
The oral hormone therapy conjugated equine estrogens (CEEs), which is used by women to relieve menopause symptoms, appears to be associated with increased risk for venous thrombosis (VT, blood clots) and possibly myocardial infarction (heart attack), but not ischemic stroke risk, when compared with the hormone therapy oral estradiol, according to a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.
Researchers compared the cardiovascular safety of the two commonly used oral estrogen medications because little is known about the cardiovascular safety ...
Massachusetts primary care malpractice claims related to alleged misdiagnoses
2013-10-01
Most of the primary care malpractice claims filed in Massachusetts are related to alleged misdiagnoses, according to study by Gordon D. Schiff, M.D., of the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, and colleagues.
The focus for improving patient safety and malpractice risk is increasingly on outpatient care, according to the study background.
Researchers examined the types, causes and outcomes of primary care malpractice claims by studying closed (resolved) claims data from two Massachusetts insurance carriers that covered most of the state's ...
Study finds continual increase in bed sharing among black, hispanic infants
2013-10-01
The proportion of infants bed sharing with caregivers increased between 1993 and 2010, especially among black and Hispanic families, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.
While infant bed sharing is a common practice in many countries, strong associations between the practice and sudden infant death syndrome have been established, according to the study background. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants share a room with their parents but not a bed for sleeping to prevent sleep-related infant deaths.
The study ...
Study examines adverse neonatal outcomes associated with early-term birth
2013-10-01
Early-term births (37 to 38 weeks gestation) are associated with higher neonatal morbidity (illness) and with more neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or neonatology service admissions than term births (39 to 41 weeks gestation), according to a study by Shaon Sengupta, M.D., M.P.H., now of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and formerly of the University at Buffalo, N.Y., and colleagues.
Researchers examined data over a three-year period from medical records of 33,488 live births at major hospitals in Erie County, N.Y., 29,741 at a gestational age between 37 to 41 ...
With increased age comes decreased risk-taking in decision-making
2013-10-01
When faced with uncertain situations, people are less able to make decisions as they age, according to a new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine. Published in the Sept. 30 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study also found that older people are more risk-averse than their midlife counterparts when choosing between possible gains, but more risk-seeking when choosing between losses.
Scientists have long-observed that cognitive function improves throughout adolescence, peaks in adulthood, and declines with age, but behavioral changes in decision-making ...
New research links individual animal behavior with social spacing
2013-10-01
The joint study by Luca Giuggioli and Jonathan Potts from the University of Bristol, and Daniel Rubenstein and Simon Levin from Princeton University shows that animals deposit marks wherever they go to show their presence, and retreat from marks left by a member of the same species more quickly if the encountered mark is recent.
The study published today [30 September] in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has important implications for how epidemic disease spreads and animal sociality.
Lead author, Dr Luca Giuggioli of Bristol's Department ...
International 'war' on illegal drugs is failing to curb supply
2013-10-01
Since 1990, the street price of illegal drugs has fallen in real terms while the purity/potency of what's on offer has generally increased, both of which are indicators of availability.
The United Nations recently estimated that the illicit drug trade is worth at least US $350 billion every year. And needle sharing is one of the key drivers of blood borne infections, including HIV. The drug trade is also linked to high rates of violence.
Over the past several decades most national drug control strategies have focused on law enforcement to curb supply, despite calls ...