Whether or not to eat fish can be a difficult question for pregnant women to answer. On one hand, it’s a source of many important nutrients, including Omega 3 fatty acids, which we need for healthy brain and eye development. On the other, some fish carry high concentrations of mercury, which can have devastating consequences on a developing fetus. So what’s a pregnant woman to do?
We sat down with Emily Oken, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, to ask about her study of women who ate fish during pregnancy, their mercury levels, and how well their children performed on tests on cognition, visual attention, and language in early childhood.
Watch this video to understand:
• Why is fish important to a developing fetus?
• How can mercury harm a developing fetus?
• How do fish become contaminated with mercury?
• Should pregnant women eat fish?
• If so, what kinds, and how much?
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