While we usually cover drug- and device-related topics in this blog, something came swimming our way on an unrelated topic that I thought might pique your interest. I always thought that eating fish over red meat was a healthy choice. Well, that is still true, as long as you don’t eat too much. In a Federal Register (FR) notice (here) issued today, the FDA and Environmental Protection Agency have revised its advice about eating fish. The advice targets primarily specific target populations (pregnant women, women who plan to become pregnant, women who are breastfeeding, and young children).
The concern is mostly related to mercury content in the fish. But who knew that fish from one ocean versus another could contain vastly different amounts of mercury? Well, please read the FR and you too will be enlightened. The Notice provides citation to a new color coded chart that lists 60 different types of fish and how much should be consumed by the target population members. There are general recommendations in the FR notice as well.
And I always thought fish were fish, but again you learn something new every day. The portion sizes mentioned might leave some of us hungry so have a back-up hamburger ready, if needed!
