functional medicine and nutritional genomics - American Association ...
functional medicine and nutritional genomics - American Association ...
functional medicine and nutritional genomics - American Association ...
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AAPI’S NUTRITION GUIDE TO OPTIMAL HEALTH: USING PRINCIPLES OF FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE AND NUTRITIONAL GENOMICS<br />
DIETARY SOURCES OF DHA AND EPA<br />
Food DHA <strong>and</strong> EPA combined (mg per ounce)<br />
Salmon, Atlantic, farmed 608<br />
Herring, Pacific 602<br />
Herring, Atlantic 571<br />
Salmon, Atlantic, wild 521<br />
Tuna, fresh, blue fin 426<br />
Mackerel, Atlantic 341<br />
Sardines (canned in oil) 278<br />
Trout, mixed species 265<br />
Flounder 142<br />
Halibut 132<br />
Source: USDA, Agricultural Research Service,<br />
Nutrient Data Laboratory<br />
Avoiding Mercury Contamination in Fish - When<br />
adding fish to a child’s diet, it is important to<br />
consider the health concerns surrounding heavy<br />
metals like mercury <strong>and</strong> fat-soluble pollutants like<br />
PCB <strong>and</strong> dioxins. In the autism community,<br />
mercury is a heavy metal of special concern<br />
because it is a neurotoxin that harms the brain<br />
<strong>and</strong> nervous system of unborn babies <strong>and</strong> young<br />
children. Mercury naturally occurs in the<br />
environment <strong>and</strong> is also released into the air from<br />
coal-fired power plants <strong>and</strong> municipal <strong>and</strong> medical<br />
waste incinerators. The mercury travels for long<br />
distances in the air before being deposited into<br />
bodies of water such as lakes, streams, <strong>and</strong> the<br />
ocean. Bacteria in these waters transform the<br />
mercury into methylmercury. Fish absorb the<br />
methylmercury as they feed in these waters <strong>and</strong> it<br />
accumulates within them. Nearly all fish <strong>and</strong><br />
shellfish have varying levels of methylmercury,<br />
depending on how long they live <strong>and</strong> how much<br />
other fish they eat. Basically, the larger fish <strong>and</strong><br />
the longer its lived, the higher its level of<br />
mercury. When a pregnant woman eats fish, she<br />
exposes her developing fetus to methylmercury,<br />
which poses a threat to its developing brain.<br />
Depending on the level of exposure, methylmercury<br />
can cause impairment in language, attention, <strong>and</strong><br />
memory; gait <strong>and</strong> visual disturbances; effects on<br />
neurological development; <strong>and</strong> mental retardation.<br />
Below are the FDA <strong>and</strong> the EPA’s<br />
recommendations for choosing <strong>and</strong> eating fish for<br />
women who are or may become pregnant <strong>and</strong><br />
nursing mothers:<br />
120<br />
1) Do not eat shark, swordfish, king<br />
mackerel, <strong>and</strong> tilefish.<br />
2) May eat up to 12 ounces a week of a<br />
variety of fish <strong>and</strong> shellfish that are lower<br />
inmercury, such as catfish, salmon,<br />
pollock, shrimp, <strong>and</strong> canned light tuna.<br />
3) Limit canned albacore ‚white‛ tuna to 6<br />
ounces per week due to higher mercury<br />
levels.<br />
4) Limit tuna steak to 6 ounces per week<br />
due to higher mercury levels.<br />
5) Check local advisories regarding the safety<br />
of fish caught in your local lakes, streams,<br />
rivers, <strong>and</strong> coastal areas.<br />
6) If no advisory is available, you may eat<br />
up to 6 ounces per week of fish caught<br />
from local waters, but don’t consume any<br />
other fish during that week.<br />
There are currently no recommendations regarding<br />
the amount of fish considered safe for young<br />
children, so the FDA <strong>and</strong> EPA suggest following<br />
the above recommendations, but serve smaller<br />
portion sizes (43).<br />
Other Dietary Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids -<br />
A new trend has emerged recently in which foods<br />
are fortified with omega-3 fatty acids. DHA can<br />
now be found in a variety of foods, such as<br />
infant formula, yogurt, bread, <strong>and</strong> juice. Eggs are<br />
not naturally a good source of omega-3 fatty<br />
acids, but now omega-3 enriched eggs, which<br />
contain up to 400mg DHA <strong>and</strong> EPA, are<br />
available in grocery stores. Omega-3 enriched<br />
eggs are produced by feeding hens a special diet<br />
containing ground flaxseed. The actual level of<br />
DHA <strong>and</strong> EPA will vary depending on the flaxseed<br />
composition of the chicken feed. Free-range<br />
chickens that eat grass <strong>and</strong> insects also produce<br />
eggs with higher-than-normal levels of omega-3<br />
fatty acids.<br />
How Much Omega-3 Fatty Acid Does a Child<br />
Need? There is no RDA for omega-3 fatty acids.<br />
Instead, the U.S. Food <strong>and</strong> Nutrition Board set<br />
levels of Adequate Intake (AI) for ALA. No<br />
specific requirements have been set for DHA <strong>and</strong><br />
EPA; however the Food <strong>and</strong> Nutrition Board<br />
2012