Health
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects approximately 10 percent of children worldwide, yet its causes are not well understood.
Now, a study led by Susan Korrick, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), and Sharon Sagiv, PhD, MPH, of Boston University School of Public Health, and published in the online version of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine on Oct. 8 links low-level prenatal mercury exposure with a greater risk of ADHD-related behaviors.
The study also finds that maternal fish consumption during pregnancy can help reduce the risk of ADHD-related behaviors in children.
This duality is possible because many types of fish have low levels of mercury, so it is possible for a pregnant woman to eat nutritionally beneficial fish without being exposed to much mercury.
“These findings underscore the difficulties pregnant women face when trying to balance the nutritional benefits of fish intake with the potential detriments of low-level mercury exposure,” said Dr. Korrick.
Dr. Sagiv agrees this study provides an important public health message, saying, “Women need to know that nutrients in fish are good for the brain of a developing fetus, but women need to be aware that high mercury levels in some fish pose a risk.”
This analysis involved approximately 400 children born in New Bedford, Massachusetts between 1993 and 1998.
Shortly after their mothers gave birth, researchers collected hair samples from the mothers and analyzed them for mercury. They also gave the mothers a questionnaire to determine their fish consumption during pregnancy.
Eight years later, researchers followed up with the children and administered standardized tests to determine behaviors related to ADHD.
Researchers found an increased risk of childhood ADHD-related behaviors with increasing maternal hair mercury levels. These mercury levels were lower than levels shown to be potentially hazardous in most previous studies.
Additionally, researchers found a reduced risk of ADHD-related behaviors in children whose mothers reported eating more than two servings of fish per week, which is a higher number of servings than is currently recommended by the United States Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.
The study did not examine what types of fish are best for a pregnant woman to eat, but previous studies have shown women should avoid fish that are high in mercury, such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel and fresh tuna.
Fish that are low in mercury, such as flounder, haddock and salmon, are safer to eat and good sources of nutrition.
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ST. HELENA, Calif. – Tricia Williams has accepted a new position with the St. Helena Hospital Region, regional vice president of Behavioral Medicine and Population Health.
In this expanded role, Williams will have oversight over behavioral health services at the Vallejo and St. Helena Napa Valley campuses as well as population health services across the Northern California Network.
Williams brings a wealth of experience to her new position.
“Tricia has over 20 years of experience in health care which includes behavioral health leadership and a passion for advocacy. Combined with her commitment to mission and the patient experience, these qualities position Tricia to make a contribution to our behavioral medicine and population health initiatives,” said Dr. Steven Herber, executive vice president at St. Helena Hospital.
In 1990, Williams began her career in health care working for Loma Linda University Medical Center as the director of marketing for their Occupational Medicine services.
In 1993 Williams joined Community Psychiatric Centers, an international for-profit behavioral medicine hospital system, as their director of marketing.
In 1996, she became the director of Business Development for Valley Health System, the largest health care district in the state of California.
There Williams developed and implemented plans to open a new psychiatric unit, negotiated a psychiatric hospitalist program, and worked with the local MediCal initiative health plan to build networks to serve their system’s integrated delivery system with over 300,000 member lives. Williams also maintained relationships with state and federal legislatures.
Williams joined St. Helena in 2006 as vice president of Business Development and Marketing where she launched the Coon Joint Replacement Institute and the NoWaitER campaign.
In 2010 she accepted the role of vice president of Operations and Planning for SHNV and the region. In this role she has been instrumental in managing our labor costs and launching Project Transform, a $20 million construction project to transform patient care areas.
Williams will begin her new role on Nov. 1 and will have offices on both the Vallejo and Napa Valley campuses.
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