IOM Releases Risk-Benefit Seafood Report

The Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the National Academy of Sciences, has released a report confirming the advice that leading health experts in the federal government, the American Heart Association, American Dietetic Association and others have provided for years: Americans should eat a variety of fish at least twice a week. To promote a healthy lifestyle, it is essential consumers recognize the many benefits of eating fish, which is low in calories and saturated fat, rich in nutrients and essential to a balanced diet.

An expert panel convened by the IOM, a world-renowned scientific institution, weighed the benefits and risks of eating seafood and concluded that consumers who eat at least two servings weekly from a variety of fish gain significant health benefits without risk from trace levels of mercury and other contaminants in seafood.

The report adds to the vast body of science showing that the proteins, vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids found in a variety of seafood may reduce the risk of heart disease. The report encourages further research into additional health benefits of fish, as some studies indicate fish may also enhance our quality of life by staving off the effects of Alzheimer's and treating mood disorders such as depression.

This new report, requested and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with support from FDA, should ease consumer concerns about mercury in fish and encourage Americans to eat fish at least twice a week, as an important part of a healthy balanced diet. The report also makes clear that all American consumers should not let these undue concerns about mercury exposure prevent them from enjoying the numerous nutritional benefits of regular fish consumption. Further, it advises certain groups of the population--women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or nursing, and young children--to choose fish species that are likely to be lower in mercury content as a precaution, while continuing to take advantage of these health benefits (see http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html).

Consumers should follow the advice of government and health experts to choose from a variety of fish so they can enjoy the health benefits associated with omega-3 fatty acids without concern about mercury. In fact, Americans do not eat enough fish; initial survey findings from the universities of Delaware and Rhode Island found that while 45% of Americans eat seafood at least once each week, only half of these same people follow the advice to include more fish in the diet, and eat at least two servings, from about 6 oz. to 12 oz. weekly.

For more information on the report, "Seafood Choices: Balancing Benefits and Risks," see http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2006/s2721.htm; to purchase the report, see http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/23788/37679.aspx.