3.2.3. Adherence to federal guidelines
EPA/FDA guidelines recommend that WCBA eat up to 12oz. of a
variety of fish and shellfish each week. Assuming 6 oz. is a standard
meal size, this recommendation is for up to two meals per
week. Few women in our study reported consumption levels exceeding
the recommendation by any of the metrics we used
(Table 4). Five percent reported consumption levels exceeding the
recommendation based on the number of meals consumed. Three to four percent exceeded the recommendation based on portion
size.
The federal guidelines also recommend that WCBA eat no more
than 6 oz. of canned “white” tuna per week. Although 29% of
women in our study ate canned “white” tuna during the study
period, none reported consuming more than the recommended
amount. Consumption varied somewhat by state of residence, with
Minnesota women who ate canned “white” tuna consuming twice
as much per week as New York women (1.7 versus 0.7 oz. per
week).
Very few WCBA in our study (4%) ate fish that the federal
government recommends against (i.e., swordfish, shark, tilefish,
king mackerel). Swordfish was the most commonly consumed “do
not eat” fish, followed by shark. Only one participant reported
eating tilefish, and none reported consuming king mackerel.
Among women who ate these fish, 78% reported eating only one
meal of the “do not eat” fish during the 16-week study period.
Federal and state advisories also discuss the benefits of fish
consumption. Current EPA/FDA guidelines suggest women eat up
to two meals of fish lower in mercury per week to receive the
benefits. While at least two-thirds of the fish consumed are species
considered low in mercury, Table 4 shows that most WCBA did
not consume the recommended amount of fish (i.e., 2 meals per
week). The vast majority of women ate less than 1.5 meals per
week (85%), and most ate less than 1 meal per week (66%). Only
12% reported eating in the range of 2 meals per week (1.5–2.5
meals). The USDA and the proposed EPA/FDA guidelines suggest
that WCBA consume between 8 to 12 oz. of fish per week. Only 10–
12% of our study participants reported eating fish within that
range.