Even if previous studies have cautioned that pregnant women and children who are not 12 yet should limit their fish intake, a recent report from the Institute of Medicine says that everyone, independent of his/her age should regularly consume fish. Eating fish has become lately a controversial subject, with some medical experts stating that it is safe to consume and very beneficial for human health, because it provides our bodies with large amounts of the omega-3 essential fatty acid. On the other hand, there are also medical experts and nutritionists who suggest that fish intake should be restricted or limited for some groups of age (under 12) and moms-to-be, as fish meat contains toxins (mercury, dioxins and PCBs) besides beneficial omega-3s.

However, the new report was carried out and issued in order to shed light on the fish consumption subject and clear up things once and for all. The report was commissioned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Dr. William Hogarth who makes part of this group stated: "The benefits of cardiovascular health from eating seafood, including farm fish, far outweigh the risk of cancer from environmental contaminants." Also, Dariush Mozaffarian of the Harvard School of Public Health, lead author of a study recently published published in the Journal of the American Medical Association pointed out: "Seafood is likely the single most important food one can consume for good health."

The Institute of Medicine team and other experts involved in the running of the current report said that US population eats less amounts of fish than recommended by health officials and they should increase the number of fish servings included in their diet. Also, women of childbearing age, nursing mothers and children who are not 12 yet should consume as much as 12 ounces of seafood, but pay more attention to the species of fish they eat.

These particular groups of population should avoid fish species which are overloaded with mercury, such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish. Malden Nesheim, the Chair of the Institute of Medicine said: "Other fish are much lower in methylmercury and provide benefits to the mother and to the child because of their content of the omega-3s that they provide, so there's a balance between risks and benefits."

However, the overall conclusion of the complex report which involved eminent medical experts was, according to Susan M. Krebs-Smith of the National Cancer Institute and member in the researching team, that the average person "can consume more fish than they do."