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Too Much Tuna?
Aired December 11, 2003 - 15:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the list of foods to limit may be getting longer for mothers-to-be. Tuna is finding itself in a bit of hot water these days. The government says some women should eat it in small amounts.
CNN medical correspondent Christy Feig has details now from Washington -- Christy.
CHRISTY FEIG, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it's your largest fish that pose the greatest problem when it comes to mercury in fish. That's because they tend to be older, been around longer, absorbed more mercury from the water. They are also more likely to eat the smaller fish and get the mercury that was in them as well. So today, the FDA is telling certain people to avoid eating them altogether .
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DAVID ACHESON, FDA: To avoid shark, swordfish, and tilefish king mackerel. And I should emphasize that this advisory is directed at a specific subpopulation. That's another important or this: pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEIG: Now, tuna is one of the most popular fish in America. It is not on the avoid list. Instead, it joins a list of fish like salmon and halibut and catfish that are lower in mercury. The FDA recommends we only eat those two to three times a week, if you're concerned about high levels of mercury.
Now, there's a catch here, Kyra, because, although they say you can eat these fish two to three times a week, they don't want you to eat any one fish that is on that list more than one time a week. That means,for dinner one night, you can have halibut for dinner. The next night, you can have catfish. For lunch, you can have tuna. But don't eat tuna three times a week.
Now, another note about tuna here is tuna steaks and albacore tend to be little bit higher in mercury. That canned light tuna fish that you weren't always crazy about tends to be a little bit lower. Now, the problem with mercury is, in high levels with women who are either carrying a child or breast-feeding a child, it can cause delays in the developing nervous system -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Christy Feig, thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 11, 2003 - 15:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the list of foods to limit may be getting longer for mothers-to-be. Tuna is finding itself in a bit of hot water these days. The government says some women should eat it in small amounts.
CNN medical correspondent Christy Feig has details now from Washington -- Christy.
CHRISTY FEIG, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it's your largest fish that pose the greatest problem when it comes to mercury in fish. That's because they tend to be older, been around longer, absorbed more mercury from the water. They are also more likely to eat the smaller fish and get the mercury that was in them as well. So today, the FDA is telling certain people to avoid eating them altogether .
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DAVID ACHESON, FDA: To avoid shark, swordfish, and tilefish king mackerel. And I should emphasize that this advisory is directed at a specific subpopulation. That's another important or this: pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEIG: Now, tuna is one of the most popular fish in America. It is not on the avoid list. Instead, it joins a list of fish like salmon and halibut and catfish that are lower in mercury. The FDA recommends we only eat those two to three times a week, if you're concerned about high levels of mercury.
Now, there's a catch here, Kyra, because, although they say you can eat these fish two to three times a week, they don't want you to eat any one fish that is on that list more than one time a week. That means,for dinner one night, you can have halibut for dinner. The next night, you can have catfish. For lunch, you can have tuna. But don't eat tuna three times a week.
Now, another note about tuna here is tuna steaks and albacore tend to be little bit higher in mercury. That canned light tuna fish that you weren't always crazy about tends to be a little bit lower. Now, the problem with mercury is, in high levels with women who are either carrying a child or breast-feeding a child, it can cause delays in the developing nervous system -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Christy Feig, thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
