The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued updated advice on eating fish, which reflects additional information on the benefits of eating fish highlighted in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as well as recommendations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding the best choices of fish to avoid mercury consumption.
 
While the overall advice that people should eat fish has not changed, it has become easier to navigate, and no changes were made regarding recommended servings or serving sizes, FDA has updated its chart to include additional information, such as a “Best Choices” category in the fish list, and specific clarifications that pregnant or breastfeeding women should eat two to three servings of fish per week and that children should eat fish twice weekly from the “Best Choices” category.
 
The FDA’s advice now explains that children one year of age can eat about one ounce of fish twice weekly. Also, the agency states that fish intake during pregnancy is recommended because moderate scientific evidence shows it can help a baby’s cognitive development, and that fish provide key nutrients children need for brain, spine, and immune system development, including omega-3 and omega-6 fats, iron, iodine, choline, and zinc.
 
Additionally, “strong evidence shows that eating fish as part of a healthy diet may help your heart health,” “moderate scientific evidence shows that healthy diets that include fish are associated with lowering the risk of becoming overweight or obese and the risk of hip fractures, colon cancer, and rectal cancer,” the new advice states.
 
Prospectively, FDA said that it will continue to evaluate current research on mercury in food consumed by babies and young children starting in 2022. “As we evaluate these food sources, we will look more holistically at the role of fish in the diet, considering both components that are detrimental (such as mercury) and beneficial (such as nutrients) and evaluating their respective and interacting roles in child development,” the agency said in the announcement. “Our aim is to have the most up-to-date understanding of the science on fish consumption in a whole diet context, which will help us to determine if and how to update our fish advice in the future.”