Exposure to even low level of mercury before pregnancy, through consumption of fish escalates women's chances of having children with symptoms of attention- deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
However, Dr. Sharon K. Sagiv, of the Boston University School of Public Health and colleagues found eating two portions or more fish per week reducing the risks.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders affecting the young generation in the country.
Children having ADHD experience problems with paying attention, troubles in controlling impulsive behaviors or acting without thinking about the consequences and hyperactivity. According to federal records, one in 11 American children is affected with this disorder.
For the study, the researchers looked at 788 children born between 1993 and 1998, part of the New Bedford birth data.
Hair samples of the mothers after giving birth were used to measure their mercury levels. Apart from that the mother's fish intake during pregnancy was also noted down. Information from the teachers was used to examine symptoms of ADHD in the kids at eight years.
Researchers found women with high mercury levels (one microgram of mercury per gram of a woman's hair) between 40 and 70 percent higher risks of giving birth to children with ADHD. However, consuming two or more servings of fish per week during pregnancy lowered the risks by 60 percent.
"In summary, these results suggest that prenatal mercury exposure is associated with a higher risk of ADHD-related behaviors, and fish consumption during pregnancy is associated with a lower risk of these behaviors," the authors said in a news release.
However, according to the health experts from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), women planning pregnancy, already pregnant, nursing mothers and young children should fully avoid fish or shellfish like Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish in their diets or eat only those with lower in mercury. Apart from that, they suggest pregnant women to take only two average meals containing fish or shell fish, per week.
The present findings, published online in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine come as a contradiction to this recommendation.
ADHD has a large inherited component, so one need not waste hours assessing fish intake during pregnancy.
Previous studies have succeeded in proving the benefits of eating fish during pregnancy. A team of researchers from the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii (JABSOM), recently found the selenium in fish highly beneficial both for maternal and the baby's health and eliminating the risks posed by mercury.
