The Role of Seafood Consumption in Child Growth and Development

Seafood--including marine and freshwater fish, mollusks, and crustaceans--is a healthy food choice, but it can also contain contaminants. It is currently unclear how much seafood children or pregnant and lactating women are consuming, and what impact seafood consumption is having on children's growth and development.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tasked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine with convening an expert committee to examine associations between seafood intake for children, adolescents, and pregnant and lactating women and child growth and development. The committee also evaluated when to conduct risk-benefit analyses (RBAs), while considering contextual factors such as equity, diversity, inclusion, and access to health care, and explored how these factors might impact RBAs.

Table of Contents

Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Methodological Approach to the Task 3 Seafood Consumption Patterns in the United States and Canada 4 Dietary Intake and Nutrient Composition of Seafood 5 Exposure to Contaminants Associated with Consumption of Seafood 6 Health Outcomes Associated with Seafood Consumption 7 RiskBenefit Analysis Appendix A: Committee Member Biosketches Appendix B: Open Session Agendas Appendix C: Commissioned Systematic Reviews Appendix D: Supplemental Review of Systematic Reviews Appendix E: NHANES Data Analysis Methodology