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Article: FDA Advises Pregnant, Nursing Women to Avoid Certain Fish.
- Article from:
- OB GYN News
- Article date:
- February 15, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 International Medical News Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON -- Pregnant and lactating women should exclude shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish from their diets, the Food and Drug Administration said in a warning issued last month.
The warning also applies to women of childbearing age who might become pregnant.
These types of fish contain a high level of methyl mercury the form of mercury that can be harmful to the developing fetal nervous system. Because these fish feed on smaller fish, they contain the highest levels of methyl mercury "and therefore pose the greatest risk to the unborn child," the FDA said in a statement.
In the statement, the FDA advised women to eat other types of ...