"wherewasi" wrote in message
...
A friend has asked me this question?

Is it safe to eat sushi during pregnancy?

any comments welcome

thanks

paul


In the United States it is generally advised that pregnant women avoid
eating fish and seafood
regardless of whether it is raw or cooked. While parasites may be killed by
cooking, contaminants such
as PCBs and mercury aren't going to dissappear by cooking.
Personally I find this position rather rigid and possibly a bit of an over
reaction depending on circumstances.
Firstly the vast majority of problems with raw fish occurs mostly when
prepared at home, not by reputable
establishments. Secondly the quality of the fish varies not only from
country to country but from region to region.
In Japan pregnant women are not generally advised to avoid eating raw fish.
On the other hand the condition and
quality of fish sold in Japan, where raw consumption is expected, is nothing
like the United States or elsewhere.
I would be very curious to know if pregnant women in regions such as New
England, which has access to to
very fresh fish have traditionally avoided eating seafood during pregnancy.
I sincerely doubt it.
In any case if you are at all concerned, one can enjoy sushi without raw
fish.
The risks with eating any seafood during pregnancy are the same as when not
pregnant.
M