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Pregnant? Best you 'avoid tuna'
12/09/2005 09:25 - (SA)
Berlin - Women should avoid consuming tuna fish and halibut during pregnancy and while breastfeeding a child.
Both fish contain the poison methyl mercury which can harm unborn children and infants according to Hildegard Przyrembel of Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (FIRA).
Her advice is based on a study by the German branch of Friends of the Earth that indicated traces of more than 300 chemicals present in mother's milk.
Neither organisation has recommended mothers stop breastfeeding their babies.
Research has shown that many chemicals arrive in the human body by eating animal fats. However, not eating meat during pregnancy does not reduce the risk of passing harmful chemicals onto the unborn child.
Many chemicals can remain deposited in the body for years. Contaminates can still be passed to the baby, even if a mother has been a vegetarian for a long time before pregnancy.
What to take 'off the menu'
But as methyl mercury is not a durable chemical, it is sensible to take fish products that contain tuna and halibut off the menu.
Women can prevent the build up of harmful substances in their bodies by not eating animal products from a young age.
But Przyrembel does recommend this course of action. "It is difficult to guarantee a healthy diet during the growing stage and to fulfil a pregnant woman's requirements of iron and calcium by this method."
"We still believe breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for a baby despite contamination from chemicals," says Przyrembel.
Long-term research has found no risk to the health of infants and children that could be linked to chemicals in mother's milk. The research also indicated that breastfeeding was good for children's development. - Sapa-dpa
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