The connection between autism and mercury exposure has long been a concern.
The impact of exposure to low levels of mercury on the developing brain, specifically by pregnant women eating fish, has been the source of concern and the subject of many arguments among researchers.
A new study, however, draws from more than 30 years of data in the Republic of Seychelles and shows no connection between prenatal mercury exposure and autism-like behaviors.
No evidence to connect the two
“This study shows no evidence of a correlation between low level mercury exposure and autism spectrum-like behaviors among children whose mothers ate, on average, up to 12 meals of fish each week during pregnancy,” said Edwin van Wijngaarden, PhD, an associate professor in the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Department of Public Health Sciences. “These findings contribute to the growing body of literature that suggest that exposure to the chemical does not play an important role in the onset of these behaviors.”
Long debate among doctors, moms and researchers
Doctors have advised women to eat fish during pregnancy as it is high in nutrients like selenium, vitamin E, lean protein and omega 3 fatty acids. These are all good for baby and mother. At the same time, fish has been suspect. Mercury exposure has been shown to lead to development disorders. The consumption of fish, which often contains traces of mercury, has then been controversial.
Seychelles provided ideal place for this type of study
The Seychelles Child Development Study was created specifically to study the impact of fish consumption and mercury exposure on childhood development.
“The Seychelles study was designed to follow a population over a very long period of time and focus on relevant mercury exposure,” said Philip Davidson, PhD, principal investigator of the Seychelles Child Development Study and professor emeritus in Pediatrics at URMC. “While the amount of fish consumed in the Seychelles is significantly higher than other countries in the industrialized world, it is still considered low level exposure.”
Fish is good for pregnant women
“This study shows no consistent association in children with mothers with mercury level that were six to ten times higher than those found in the U.S. and Europe,” explained Davidson. “This is a sentinel population and if it does not exist here than it probably does not exist.”
Source: MedicalNewsToday, URMC
Did the study measure the
Did the study measure the amount of mercury exposure, or just how often they ate fish?