Canned tuna consumers, especially women, have received good news twice within a week. Two non-industry scientific studies confirmed that tuna helps pregnant women avoid depression, while posing no health risk to them or their unborn children. Canned tuna is the nation's most widely consumed fish.
"These new studies are a blow to those who say consumers should forego the many benefits of eating canned tuna, including overcoming depression, because of a trace amount of mercury," said Melanie Miller, National Communications Director of the U.S. Tuna Foundation. "When these claims face the rigors of scientific testing, they are exposed for what they are -- just another fish story."
The most recent study of nearly 12,000 pregnant British women found that consumption of fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as canned tuna, during the third trimester resulted in fewer signs of major depression up to eight months after birth. The rate of depression in the women with the highest fish consumption was about half that of women with the lowest consumption.
The study was released this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. Postpartum depression is a serious concern for women, and can have an indirect adverse effect on the language and physical development of newborns.
"This study confirms the benefits of tuna, while another released earlier put to rest concerns about any risk of brain development in the unborn child," Miller said. "It's a direct challenge to an analysis that fish critics lean on commonly."
Last week's report was the latest data from a multi-year study of women and their children in the Seychelles Islands, where fish consumption is 12 times the average in the U.S. Researchers focused on neurodevelopment and found "no detectable adverse effects in a population consuming large quantities of a wide variety of ocean fish."
Johns Hopkins Hospital expert Dr. Constantine Lyketsos, after reviewing the study published in the medical journal The Lancet, concluded: "For now, there is no reason for pregnant women to reduce fish consumption below current levels, which are probably safe."
"These two studies show that when scare tactics meet science, consumers get confirmation of what they've long believed-eating canned tuna poses no health risks, and offers significant health benefits," Miller concluded.
While all ocean fish contain some mercury naturally, canned tuna has a concentration of 0.17 parts per million, far below the Food and Drug Administration action level of 1.0 ppm. The FDA, American Heart Association, and other health organizations have noted that canned tuna -- an excellent source of protein, as well as Omega-3 fatty acids -- is a healthy food choice and an important part of a balanced diet.
Canned tuna, which celebrates its 100-year anniversary in 2003, is a $1.1- billion industry in the U.S., with Americans consuming about a billion pounds of tuna annually. It's a staple meal choice for nearly nine out of every 10 households in the nation.
For more information on canned tuna, its benefits, and new ways to enjoy it, go to www.tunafacts.com . The U.S. Tuna Foundation is the national organization representing canned tuna processors and fishing that supply them.