One booth manned by the hawaii seafood council was on hand to show how selenium, a chemical element found in most ocean fish, is essential to the brain development of an unborn child.
"What we’re looking at now is the levels of mercury and selenium the anti-oxidant enzymes the omega three fatty acids which is needed for brain development," says Dr. Marla Berry, John A. Burns School of Medicine Cellular & Molecular biology.
A study launched in 2010 in collaboration with Kapiolani Medical Center and the UH Cancer Center surveyed 100 pregnant women in Hawaii.
During their pregnancies the women were asked to write down how much fish they consumed, what kind they consumed and how often.
Now, their placentas are being tested to find out the effects of fish consumption.
"All of these fish monchongs, mahimahi, ono all the fish we love to eat all have been demonstrated through our research to have more selenium than mercury," says Dr. John Kaneko, Hawaii Seafood Council.
Dr. Berry is heading the study and believes that having pregnant women avoid fish may actually prevent an unborn child from having a higher I.Q.
"The selenium is needed for the anti-oxidant enzymes that protect us against toxins and also for the thyroid hormone which is important for fetal development >
Research shows that selenium is essential to foster growth and development and is a powerful antioxidant.
Dr. Kaneko agrees and says most of our ocean fish we love to eat have more selenium than mercury, nearly eliminating the risk of consuming ocean fish.
"We apply that science to our fish here in hawaii and most ocean fish are a very rich source of selenium and some accumulate mercury and most have more selenium than mercury," says Dr. Kaneko.
"There’s no evidence showing that there’s any danger that there’s significant mercury levels that can be absorbed from any ocean fish," says Dr. Berry.
Dr. Berry is also working with the OBGYN department at the UH School of Medicine on this study.
Results are expected by early next year.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
