A coalition of scientists from private groups and federal agencies announced yesterday that pregnant and breastfeeding women should consume a minimum of 12 ounces of seafood weekly to ensure optimal brain development for their babies. The recommendation from the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) in Alexandria, Va., is a departure from federal health advice that states pregnant and breastfeeding women should eat no more than 12 ounces of seafood a week because of concerns about methyl mercury contamination. “While a nutritional deficiency from insufficient seafood consumption (long-chain omega-3 fatty acids) is quite common, the risk of mercury toxicity is exceedingly rare,” the group stated in a press release. The non-profit HMHB has nearly 150 members, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the March of Dimes, the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Concerns over the impact of seafood consumption on fetal and infant brain development have long caused consumer confusion and scientific debate. “Women will see that it is reasonable to consume some seafood during pregnancy as an important building block for babies’ nutrition,” Brown University professor Patricia Nolan told the Washington Post. Nolan is the former director of the Rhode Island Department of Health and one of the experts who drafted the HMHB guidelines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency issued consumer warnings in 2001 and 2004 that advised pregnant and breastfeeding women, women of child-bearing age and young children to eat no more than 12 ounces of seafood a week, to avoid eating shark, tile fish, king mackerel and swordfish and to limit albacore-tuna consumption to no more than 6 ounces a week. Infant exposure to methyl mercury has been linked to neurological problems. Gerald Leape, VP of marine conservation for the Washington, D.C., group National Environmental Trust, says it is misleading to urge pregnant women to eat more seafood without mentioning the health risks. “The coalition failed to warn the public that farmed fish, especially farmed salmon, often contain antibiotics, colorants and pesticides, several of which are known carcinogens,” said Leape in a press release. “In addition, some marine species can contain PCBs and flame retardants.” Seafood is the major dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a key nutrient for developing fetuses, infants and young children.