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Is it safe? · Pregnancy Smart

Is escolar safe during pregnancy?

Assigned clinical reviewerMichael Yuzefovich· MD, FACOGDraft · pending clinical reviewUpdated

What does the evidence say about escolar during pregnancy?

  1. FDA describes escolar and oilfish as causes of gempylid fish poisoning, with oily orange or brown-green diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headache, and vomiting linked to indigestible wax esters. 1
  2. FDA's Seafood List identifies Lepidocybium flavobrunneum as escolar or oilfish and lists white tuna only as a vernacular cross-reference that is generally not acceptable for interstate-commerce labeling. 2
  3. A food-safety review reports that escolar fillet can contain wax esters at up to 18% and that 140 g of escolar caused keriorrhea in volunteer testing, while no tolerable intake has been established. 3
  4. In an outbreak among 44 conference attendees, 20 became ill after escolar was served; common symptoms included diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, headache, and vomiting, with a median 2.5-hour incubation. 4
  5. FDA and EPA advise pregnant people to eat 2 to 3 weekly servings from the Best Choices fish category and to use the chart rather than assuming every fish has the same contaminant profile. 5

Is escolar safe in each trimester?

  • First trimester. Pregnancy nausea can make escolar-related cramping, vomiting, or oily diarrhea especially difficult to distinguish from another illness. There is no established first-trimester safe portion.
  • Second trimester. Fish remains nutritious during pregnancy, but escolar is not one of the FDA and EPA charted Best Choices. Select listed lower-mercury fish and vary the species across the week.
  • Third trimester. Avoid a food that can trigger abrupt diarrhea or vomiting close to delivery. If symptoms follow escolar, focus on hydration and contact obstetric care for severe, persistent, or dehydration-related symptoms.

Frequently asked questions

What is keriorrhea and why does escolar cause it?

Keriorrhea is oily, often orange or brown-green rectal discharge. Escolar stores large amounts of wax esters that human digestion absorbs poorly. The unabsorbed oil passes through the bowel and can produce leakage or diarrhea, sometimes with cramps, nausea, headache, or vomiting.

Is escolar sold under the name white tuna at restaurants?

Escolar has been called white tuna, butterfish, or walu, but FDA lists white tuna only as a vernacular cross-reference for escolar and says such names are generally not acceptable for interstate labeling. Ask the restaurant for the species when a menu uses an unclear fish name.

Is escolar banned in the United States?

Escolar is not universally banned from U.S. sale. FDA controls acceptable seafood names and provides hazard information because mislabeling can hide the species from consumers. Availability does not establish a pregnancy-safe serving or remove the wax-ester risk.

What are the symptoms of eating escolar?

Escolar can cause sudden oily diarrhea or leakage, abdominal cramping, nausea, headache, and vomiting. In one outbreak, the median incubation was 2.5 hours, but the range was wide. Symptoms can resemble infection or pregnancy-related gastrointestinal illness, so mention the fish exposure when seeking care.

Is a small amount of escolar still risky during pregnancy?

No pregnancy-specific safe portion has been established. Larger portions may deliver more wax ester, but outbreaks have not produced a reliable threshold that guarantees no symptoms for an individual. Avoiding escolar is more predictable than trying to calculate a small serving.

Does cooking escolar remove the wax esters?

Cooking does not make escolar's wax esters digestible. The issue is naturally stored oil throughout the flesh, not only surface contamination. Grilling, searing, or serving the fish as sushi does not create an established pregnancy-safe portion.

Is escolar a high-mercury fish?

The pregnancy-specific reason to avoid escolar should not be misstated as a proven mercury classification. Escolar is not listed in the FDA and EPA pregnancy chart, and its well-documented hazard is wax-ester gastrointestinal illness. Choose a named Best Choice from the federal chart for clearer mercury guidance.

What should I do if I ate escolar while pregnant?

A single exposure does not establish fetal harm. Watch for oily diarrhea, cramps, nausea, vomiting, or dehydration, maintain fluids if you can, and contact obstetric care if symptoms are severe, persistent, bloody, accompanied by fever, or associated with dizziness, reduced urination, contractions, or reduced fetal movement.

What fish can replace escolar during pregnancy?

Use the FDA and EPA chart and choose 2 to 3 weekly servings from its Best Choices category. Salmon, shrimp, pollock, tilapia, cod, and canned light tuna are charted examples. Vary the species rather than repeatedly choosing one fish.

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References

  1. Bad Bug Book: Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · https://www.fda.gov/media/83271/download

  2. The Seafood List: Lepidocybium flavobrunneum

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · https://www.hfpappexternal.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/index.cfm?id=Lepidocybium_flavobrunneum&set=SeafoodList

  4. An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness associated with the consumption of escolar fish

    Communicable Diseases Intelligence via PubMed · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12416710/

  5. Questions & Answers from the FDA/EPA Advice about Eating Fish

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/questions-answers-fdaepa-advice-about-eating-fish-those-who-might-become-or-are-pregnant-or

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.