Can eating tuna effect me and my pregnancy?

Answer 1

Limit your intake on larger species of fish like tuna, swordfish, salmon. They have the highest mercury contents. You can still eat it, I just wouldn't eat it everyday or anything. If you really like fish, stick with the smaller varieties and you will be fine.

Answer 2

They say you can eat it a couple times a week with no problem. For me, tuna fish sandwiches were a big part of my diet when I was pregnant, and I gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby! Go to babycenter.com or read a book such as Your Pregnancy Week by Week, etc, and they will tell you the details. I know canned tuna is much safer than fresh tuna, because there is less mercury, which is why some fish is unsafe during pregnancy.

Answer 3

Not if u eat it in moderation--u should try to stay away from fish and tuna because of the high levels of mercury it contains. But alot of people told me that eating a can of tuna a week is ok---as long as u dont eat it everyday u should be fine.

Answer 4

it could.
my dr recommended that i steer clear of all big fish, such as tuna b/c of high mercury levels.
most pregnancy books and people in general will agree with this.
i, also, just read in a pregnancy magazine that some people were eating light tuna b/c it was said to contain less mercury than regular albacore, however a recent study had found this to not be entirely true. the article suggested salmon as a nice alternative. it has lower

high levels of mercury can harm baby's brain development, so it's worth giving up for 9 months!

take care.

Answer 5

tuna is good protein. i personally can't stand the stuff. should be great for you and your baby. however, they do say there is a lot of mercury in tuna - but not enough to harm your child. i just wouldn't eat it for three meals a day.

Answer 6

TUNA IS GOOD AND BAD. IF EATING 2 MUCH CAN EFFECT U. BECAUSE OF THE MERCURY.

Answer 7

I heard something about this....Some tuna have mercury in it and is bad for you. I think they make some that does not have any. Read the label.

Answer 8

This comes from Babycenter.com

Question: Should I steer clear of fish now that I'm pregnant?

Answer: No, there's no reason to put the kibosh on all fish. Loaded with protein, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids, fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. But you're right to be cautious. Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of methylmercury — a compound known to be harmful in high doses to an unborn baby's or young child's developing nervous system.

Fish absorb methylmercury from the water they swim in and the food they eat.
But larger predator fish accumulate the highest levels of methylmercury from their prey because they eat more fish that are higher on the food chain and they tend to live longer. Methylmercury binds tightly to the proteins in fish muscle and remains there even after the fish is cooked.

In March 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new guidelines for how women who are trying to conceive, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children can limit their exposure to mercury in fish. They now advise eating no more than 6 ounces (about one serving) of canned albacore or "white" tuna. At the Department of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue University, we tend to be a bit more conservative and recommend eating no more than 4 ounces a week. Albacore tuna contains more mercury than the canned "light" variety, which can be relatively low in mercury.

According to the FDA/ EPA guidelines, you should also limit yourself to 12 ounces a week (about two servings) of canned "light" tuna and other cooked fish. Once again, our recommendations are more protective — eat fewer than 8 ounces a week of canned "light" tuna. And you should completely avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish (also called golden or white snapper), tuna steak (fresh or frozen), orange roughy, Spanish mackerel, marlin, and grouper because these fish are at the top of the food chain and contain the highest levels of mercury.

While all this talk of mercury may give you the impression that you should avoid fish altogether while you're pregnant, remember that fish is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids — all of which are essential for your baby's development. There are plenty of other tasty varieties — salmon, rainbow trout, and canned mackerel, for instance — that contain low levels of mercury and are high in healthy fats. The FDA considers these fish safe for pregnant women to eat twice a week.

For more information about the risks of mercury in fish and shellfish, check out Purdue University's Fish for Your Health Web site. You can also call the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's food information line toll-free at [phone] or visit the FDA's Food Safety Web site. The FDA site also provides a chart of mercury levels in a variety of fish and shellfish.

Answer 9

You should really stay away from fish. They carry mercury from all the pollution in the water, and that can affect your baby. Mercury is a substance that collects in the brain and stays there.

Answer 10

My doctors always told me not to eat it more than twice a week if that,because of the mercury content