Healthful Seafood Consumption for Sensitive Populations

May 13, 2010 updated by: Purdue University

Consuming Fish to Reduce Mercury Intake While Optimizing Omega-3 Fatty Acid Status

Fish can provide pregnant women with omega-3 fatty acids for fetal brain development but some fish contains high levels of mercury which is detrimental to fetal brain development. The hypothesis is that women who have previously consumed high mercury fish can reduce the mercury level in their bodies and improve their omega-3 levels in three months by eating fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Exposure to methylmercury, a developmental toxicant found primarily in fish. Fish is nutritionally important for providing long chain omega-3 fatty acids that are important for perinatal health. Since maternal transfer of mercury and omega-3 fatty acids are the primary routes for fetal (placental transfer) or infant (maternal milk) exposure, there is a critical need to develop specific advice for childbearing-aged women based upon the 2004 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's recommended intake i.e., consume 8 ounces of fish per week. This clinical trial investigates whether weekly consumption of selected fish species for 12 weeks can improve plasma concentrations of the omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)) while reducing hair or blood mercury concentrations.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

71

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Tallahassee, Florida, United States, 32307-4100
        • Florida A&M University
    • Indiana
      • West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, 47907-2059
        • Purdue University, Department of Foods and Nutrition

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Hair mercury levels equal to or greater than 0.8 ppm

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the next 3 months
  • Nursing

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Tilapia
Subjects are fed 6 oz tilapia once a week for 3 months
Other: Feeding low mercury fish
Subjects fed 6 oz of either tilapia (low omega-3 fish) or salmon (high omega-3 fish) for 3 months. Both fish are low in mercury
Active Comparator: Salmon
Subjects fed 6 oz salmon once a week for 3 months
Other: Feeding low mercury fish
Subjects fed 6 oz of either tilapia (low omega-3 fish) or salmon (high omega-3 fish) for 3 months. Both fish are low in mercury

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hair Mercury
Time Frame: 3 months
The hair mercury after feeding low mercury fish for 3 months
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Blood mercury concentration
Time Frame: 3 months
The blood mercury concentration after feeding low mercury fish for 3 months
3 months
Blood omega-3 fatty acid concentrations
Time Frame: 3 months
Blood omega-3 fatty acid concentration after feeding either salmon or tilapia for 3 months
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Purdue University

Collaborators

Florida A&M University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Charles Santerre, Ph.D, Purdue University, Department of Foods and Nutrition

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

January 1, 2008

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2009

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 12, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

May 14, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

May 14, 2010

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2010

Last Verified

May 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • USDA-CSREES 07-5110-03804

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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