Researchers Create New Model to Assess Risks and Benefits of Eating Fish During Pregnancy

In the study, researchers examined the relationship between fish consumption—categorized into low, medium, and high average mercury levels—and neurodevelopment in children. They assessed neurodevelopment using tests for IQ, language, memory, and attention.

The findings showed that children whose mothers consumed more fish with low mercury levels had better neurodevelopmental outcomes. Conversely, children whose mothers ate fish with high mercury levels had poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes.

“For patients who are seeking guidance about fish consumption, public advisories can be confusing and lead to decreased fish intake. Our study finds that eating more fish was generally beneficial for neurodevelopment when pregnant individuals consumed fish containing low levels of mercury but detrimental when individuals consumed fish with the highest average mercury levels. People need to think about what kind of fish they are consuming rather than simply cutting down on fish intake entirely. Our goal is for our study to help facilitate better estimation of the risk-benefit trade-offs of fish consumption, a key component of many healthy diets,” said lead author Sally Thurston, of the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Reference: Sally W Thurston, David Ruppert, Susan A Korrick, A Novel Approach to Assessing the Joint Effects of Mercury and Fish Consumption on Neurodevelopment in the New Bedford Cohort, American Journal of Epidemiology, 2024;, kwae149, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwae149