Two new studies should help clear up the confusion. The reports–one by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine and the other by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health–conclude that eating fish provides significant health benefits that outweigh the risk from ingesting the small amounts of contaminants found in some species. The Harvard study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that even one to two servings of fish per week, particularly fatty fish like salmon, can cut the risk of death from coronary heart disease by 36 percent. Pregnant women who eat fish high in fatty acids like DHA may also help their babies’ neurological development. Still, researchers noted that the health effects of low levels of methylmercury “are not clearly established.” So it’s best to fill up on wild salmon, scallops, anchovies and other fish that are high in DHA and low in mercury and other toxins.
