New Online Calculator Clears Up Confusion Over Seafood and Health
Unique Tool Reveals Nutritional Benefits And Risks Of Fish Consumption
WASHINGTON -- Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom launched HowMuchFish.com, the only online seafood calculator that computes both the health risks and benefits of a diet rich in seafood.
HowMuchFish.com puts conflicting information about seafood and health into perspective by displaying the nutritional content of the top ten most popular seafood species-showing the positive impact of fish consumption as well as the negligible risks from trace amounts of mercury.
The Center explained that HowMuchFish.com was modeled after recommendations from leading experts in the field, including scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This year the FDA cautioned that the "risk only" approach to seafood health assessment in the current federal guidelines may have a negative impact on public health by discouraging fish consumption.
According to the calculator at HowMuchFish.com, a 130-pound woman who eats canned light tuna would need to regularly eat 123 ounces (7.7 pounds) of it every week in order to risk any negative health impact from mercury. But in every 6-ounce serving, she gains the health benefits associated with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin B12, potassium, and iron.
"Fish is one of the most impressive superfoods we know of, packed with essential nutrients," said Sarah Longwell, the Center's Director of Communications. "That's why doctors routinely tell women that the health benefits of eating fish far outweigh any hypothetical risks. Especially during pregnancy." Oily fish such as tuna and salmon are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial for good health and healthy fetal development. The recommended daily level of Vitamin B-12 can be met with just three ounces of blue crab.
In a recent report titled "Tuna Meltdown," the Center found that more than a quarter-million underprivileged American children were born at risk of having abnormally low IQs between 2000 and 2006 because their low-income mothers were afraid to eat fish during their pregnancies. Longwell added: "The Internet is full of doom-and-gloom seafood calculators that only tell half the story. We're trying to bring some balance to the discussion. The entire medical literature contains zero cases of fetal mercury poisoning related to fish consumption in the United States. But it's full of evidence that fish is a health food."
To try the calculator, visit www.HowMuchFish.com.
For further information or to arrange an interview please call Sarah Longwell at (202) 463-7112.
The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers, working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices.
For media comment, contact our media department at 202-463-7112 ext. 115
