Seafood Choices Balancing Benefits and Risks (2007) / Chapter Skim
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It is a good source of high-quality protein, is low in saturated fat, and is rich in many micronutrients. Seafood is often also a rich source of the preformed longchain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
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of the National Academies to examine relationships between benefits and risks associated with seafood consumption to help consumers make informed choices. The expert committee was asked to prioritize the potential for adverse health effects from both naturally occurring and introduced toxicants in seafood, assess evidence on availability of specific nutrients in seafood compared to other food sources, determine the impact of modifying food choices to reduce intake of naturally occurring and introduced toxicants on nutrient intake and nutritional status within the US population, develop a decision path for US consumers to weigh their seafood choices to obtain nutritional benefits balanced against exposure risks, and identify data gaps and recommend future research.
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The preference among consumers for marine types of seafood is leading to supply deficits, and seafood produced by aquaculture is replacing captured supplies for several of these types. While seafood is recognized as a primary source of the omega-3 longchain polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA, not all seafood is rich in these fatty acids.
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It is a good source of protein, and relative to other protein foods, e.g., meat, poultry, and eggs, is generally lower in saturated fatty acids and higher in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA as well as selenium; 2. The evidence to support benefits to pregnancy outcome in females who consume seafood or fish-oil supplements as part of their diet during pregnancy is derived largely from observational studies.
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Observational evidence suggests that increased seafood consumption is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular deaths and cardiovascular events in the general population. Evidence is insufficient to assess if this association is mediated through an increase in EPA and DHA consumption and/or a decrease in saturated fat consumption and/or other correlates of seafood consumption; 4.
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Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) , including dioxins and PCBs, can be found in the fatty tissue of all animal-derived foods, including seafood.
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Recommendation 2: Although advice from federal agencies should also support inclusion of seafood in the diets of pregnant females or those who may become pregnant, any consumption advice should stay within federal advisories for specific seafood types and state advisories for locally caught fish. Recommendation 3: Appropriate federal agencies (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]
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4. Adult males and females who are at risk of cardiovascular disease: a.
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FIGURE S-1 The committee's decision pathway derived from the balance between benefits and risks associated with seafood consumption. The diagram highlights the variables that group consumers into target populations that face different benefits and risks and should receive tailored advice.
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It should also be structured to support decision-making, and allow consumers to access additional layers of information when they want them. BALANCING CHOICES: SUPPORTING CONSUMER SEAFOOD CONSUMPTION DECISIONS The third design step for developing specific support for seafood consumption decisions is production and evaluation of the information itself, including ways to integrate the benefit and risk considerations in mock-up examples of how such information might be provided.
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2. Given the uncertainties present in underlying exposure data and health impact analysis, there is no single summary metric that adequately captures the complexity of balancing benefits and risks associated with seafood for purposes of providing guidance to consumers.
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Recommendation 10: The decision pathway the committee recommends, which illustrates its analysis of the current balance between benefits and risks associated with seafood consumption, should be used as a basis for developing consumer guidance tools for selecting seafood to obtain nutritional benefits balanced against exposure risks. Real-time, interactive decision tools, easily available to the public, could increase informed actions for a significant portion of the population, and help to inform important intermediaries, such as physicians.
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Such studies should be carried out using state-of-the-art assessment methods to determine the intake levels of seafood, EPA/DHA and other dietary constituents, and the variability of those intake levels among population groups. Recommendation 2: Sufficiently large analytic samples of the most common seafood types need to be obtained and examined.
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Health Risks Associated with Seafood Consumption Recommendation 12: More complete data are needed on the distribution of contaminant levels among types of fish. This information should be made available in order to reduce uncertainties associated with the estimation of health risks for specific seafoodborne contaminant exposures.
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In addition, it is important that consistency between agencies be maintained, particularly with regard to communication information using serving sizes. CONCLUSION For most of the general population, balancing benefits and risks associated with seafood consumption to obtain nutritional and health benefits can be achieved by selecting seafood from available options in quantities that fall within accepted dietary guidelines.
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