too MUCH oily fish??

[swayingstreetlamp]

Was googling oily fish to see which ones count beyond mackerel and salmon. I've always eaten a lot of those because I love them and know they have health benefits, they're a staple of the Mediterranean diet which is good for you etc etc.

But now I have just found this snippet from the NHS website which really shocked me:

"Oily fish: all girls and women who haven’t been through the menopause yet, including those trying for a baby, or who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should have no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week. A portion is around 140g."

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/fish-and-shellfish-nutrition/#:~:text=A%20healthy%2C%20balanced%20diet%20should,of%20many%20vitamins%20and%20minerals.

Is this common knowledge?? I knew pregnant women had some restrictions around how much fish/shellfish they could eat but I had no idea the advice extended to all women and girls in general.

I'm a bit worried that I've always been eating fish without thinking about it and I may have actually been harming my fertility. I'm 31, no children yet but would like to have them in future.

The reason they give btw:

"Oily fish usually have higher levels of pollutants than other types of seafood. For this reason, there are maximum recommendations for the number of portions some groups should be eating each week."

I think you have misunderstood. The advice about two portions of oily fish is only for girls, pregnant women or those trying to get pregnant. It isn't for all women, and yes it is because of the amount of pollutants that can be found in that type of fish.

I did know this but I was surprised to read that children basically shouldn’t eat swordfish at all as I ate it as a child!

IIRC it’s because a) some pollutants accumulate in fat so oily fish are particularly affected and b) some pollutants also accumulate at higher levels in fish which eat other fish (like tuna) although that’s less of a problem for smaller fish like sardines

Thanks for the reply @DelilahBucket - the link says all girls and women who haven't been through the menopause but who might want to conceive one day "because pollutants found in oily fish may build up in the body and affect the future development of a baby in the womb."

So based on that it does apply to me.

Depends how far up the food chain your oily fish is.
Sardines are far less of a problem than tuna or swordfish, as PP also said.