Oken, E., Radesky, J. S., Wright, R. O., Bellinger, D. C., Amarasiriwardena,
C. J., Kleinman, K. P., … Gillman, M. W. (2008). Maternal fish intake
during pregnancy, blood mercury levels, and child cognition at age 3
years in a US cohort. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167(10),
1171–1181.
This study was able to separate the potential nutritional benefits of fish consumption during pregnancy from the potential harmful effects of low-level mercury exposure from fish. Review the abstract and the mothers’ blood mercury levels according to the amount of fish consumed per week (top of Table 1, page 1175). The introduction to the paper summarizes the nutritional benefits from fish, e.g., as a source of DHA that many women otherwise lack in their diets. In addition, review Figure 1, which shows childhood cognitive test results for mothers who consumed more fish and for mothers with higher blood mercury levels.
