Why is it that when a celebrity says something, whether its even remotely true, certain media outlets print, post and promote it like its gospel? Take for instance Rod Stewarts wife, uh his thirdnot counting the girlfriend who he has a child with as well. Shes only tangentially a celebrity and youll find her all over magazines and websites like People spewing misinformation about fish and fertility and theyre printing it like shes a research OBGYN from Harvard.

Come on guys. I know youre not the Wall Street Journal but do a little digging before you print this stuff. If Ashton Kutcher announced bald men could re-grow hair by rubbing mayonnaise on their head would the headline be Cure For Baldness Announcedlets hope not?

Our letter below:

Larry Hackett
Managing Editor
People Magazine

Via Email

Dear Mr. Hackett,

I am writing to you regarding your Sept. 13 story, Penny Lancaster: Fish Is Not a Friend toFertility, despite Ms. Lancasters claims and your reporting, there is no body of science connecting seafood consumption and infertility. You will note that in the Daily Mail version of this same story, an interviewed doctor clearly states, I havent heard of high mercury levels affecting fertility.

Your headline is not simply inconsistent with the science on this issue it has the potential to do harm to public health. Two leading health authorities recently came out with reports emphasizing the importance of eating fish during pregnancy and breastfeeding for optimal brain development in babies and the risks of avoiding fish.

• Recommendation of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization Expert Consultation on the Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption; Executive Summary, May 2010:

Emphasize the neurodevelopment benefits to offspring of fish consumption by women of childbearing age, particularly pregnant women and nursing mothers, and the neurodevelopment risks to offspring of such women not consuming fish.

Translation: When pregnant and breastfeeding moms eat fish it helps their babies brain develop. And when they dont eat fish their babies might miss out on this brain boost.

Available at http://www.fao.org/fishery/nems/39000/en

• Conclusion of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, June 2010:

Moderate evidence indicates that increased maternal dietary intake of long chain n-3 PUFA, in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from at least 2 servings of seafood per week, during pregnancy and lactation is associated with increased DHA levels in breast milk and improved infant health outcomes, such as visual acuity and cognitive development.

Translation: When pregnant and breastfeeding moms eat at least two servings of fish a week, it raises the amount of omega-3s in their breast milk and helps their babies eyes and brain develop.

Available at http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm

Despite what Ms. Lancaster has said to the media, peer-reviewed scientific and medical literature does not support her claims or those she attributes to an unnamed homeopathic doctor. The failure of your reporting to offer a converse medical opinion and the inaccuracy of the content of your headline has the potential to cause real confusion and harm public health. We ask that you immediately remove or amended this story.

Thank you.

Gavin Gibbons
National Fisheries Institute

cc Cynthia Sanz
Assistant Managing Editor