is starkist tuna safe during pregnancy

Is Starkist Tuna Safe During Pregnancy? What Pregnant Women Need to Know

Eating fish during pregnancy offers many health benefits. Fish provides protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, selenium, and other nutrients that are important for you and your developing baby. However, some types of fish also contain mercury, which can be harmful. So is Starkist tuna safe to eat during pregnancy?

I looked into the latest research on mercury levels in different brands and types of canned tuna to provide expectant mothers with the information they need to make informed choices about tuna consumption. Here’s what I learned:

The Trouble With Tuna

Mercury is a neurotoxin that is especially harmful to fetal brain development Albacore tuna tends to have much higher mercury levels compared to light tuna varieties like skipjack This is because albacore tuna are larger, live longer, and accumulate more mercury through their diet.

While the FDA recommends limiting albacore tuna intake to no more than 4 ounces per week during pregnancy, Consumer Reports advises avoiding albacore tuna altogether. Their testing found concerning spikes in mercury levels between different cans, even among the same brand and variety. This unpredictability poses risks.

CR also tested light tuna from 5 major brands – Bumble Bee Chicken of the Sea StarKist, Safe Catch, and Wild Planet. They found mercury levels were substantially lower compared to albacore, but spikes between cans were still a concern. CR continues to recommend pregnant women avoid all tuna to eliminate risk.

What the Research Says About StarKist

Of the 3 albacore tuna samples tested from StarKist, one contained mercury levels so high that CR advised it should not be eaten at all.

StarKist light tuna samples were relatively low in mercury overall, with an average of 0.128 ppm compared to 0.071 ppm for Chicken of the Sea and 0.117 ppm for Bumble Bee. However, 1 sample spiked at 0.246 ppm, which would change the weekly consumption limit.

While StarKist light tuna may be safer than albacore during pregnancy, the unpredictable spikes mean there is no guarantee that every can will be low enough in mercury to be considered safe.

Weighing the Risks vs. Benefits

Because mercury risks can vary so much between cans, avoiding tuna altogether is the only way pregnant women can completely protect their developing babies from potential mercury exposure. However, for women who carefully regulate intake to recommended limits, the nutritional benefits of tuna may outweigh the smaller risks. Women should consider their individual nutritional needs and mercury risk tolerance when making choices.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) supports eating 8-12 ounces of low mercury fish per week during pregnancy. They consider canned light tuna to be a low mercury option, though albacore should be avoided.

If you choose to include tuna in your pregnancy diet, here are some precautions I would recommend based on the current research:

• Choose canned light tuna over albacore, but limit to no more than 2-3 servings per week
• Choose smaller, more frequent servings of 2-3 ounces instead of 4+ ounce portions
• Avoid tuna every day – space out servings over the week
• Balance with other low mercury fish like salmon, shrimp, pollock, tilapia
• Compare brands and buy from manufacturers with lower averages like Chicken of the Sea
• Rinse canned tuna to reduce sodium, flavor it yourself with lemon and olive oil

While starkist albacore should always be avoided, starkist’s light tuna varieties may be a low mercury option when consumed carefully in moderation along with other low mercury fish. But tuna intake should not exceed recommended limits, as mercury risks still exist. Being informed about the latest research can help pregnant women balance the risks and benefits.

Frequency of Entities:
Consumer Reports: 4
FDA: 2
StarKist: 5
albacore tuna: 5
light tuna: 7
mercury: 14
canned tuna: 3
pregnant women: 5
pregnancy: 4