Headline Writers Beware: New Study Concludes Eating Fish during Pregnancy May Lower the Risk of ADHD-Like Behaviors

October 9, 2012, Washington, D.C. Reporters, producers and headline writers are warned to read the new study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine carefully and report on it accurately, even in the headline.

The key takeaway question for consumers about this study is, What happens when I eat fish during pregnancy? The study concludes that pregnant women who eat more seafood, including traces of mercury, may lower their childrens risk for ADHD-like behaviors. While it finds that exposure to certain levels of prenatal mercury may be associated with higher risk of ADHD-like behaviors, eating fish can protect against this risk.

Reuterseating at least two servings of fish per week was linked to about a 60 percent lower risk of kids developing certain ADHD-like symptoms.

ABC News Researchers say cutting fish out of the prenatal diet to avoid mercury exposure entirely is a bad idea

Take Part fish consumed during pregnancy may actually lower the risk of those behaviors.

Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics states, Make certain that headlines do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.

Forbes has some great advice to people who are reading reports on this study today, First,skip all the headlines. Headlinesexist to sell, not to inform. Second, read on.

National Fisheries Institutes manager of Nutrition Communications, Jennifer McGuire MS, RD, an expectant mother herself, would be happy to serve as a resource for anyone working on a report about this study.

For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com.

Contact Information

Gavin Gibbons
(703)752-8891
ggibbons@nfi.org