New research suggests drinking while pregnant may not cause the neurological problems once thought.
Judging a child’s balance
According to CBS News, mothers were asked about their alcohol use at 18 weeks into their pregnancy. About 70 percent of moms didn’t drink at all while pregnant, about a quarter of the group had one to two drinks a week and about three percent had three to seven glasses a week.
After conducting a balance test, researchers found that mothers who drank one to two drinks did not have children with balance problems. Balance is an indicator of neurological health and is established in the womb. In some cases, mothers who drank on occasion had children with better balance than those who never drank during pregnancy.
“Although balance is only one measure of neurodevelopment, it should not be disregarded,” Dr. James Nicholls, research manager at Alcohol Research UK, told The Independent.
“The debate on advice to women in pregnancy is an important one, and many people will argue that the ‘precautionary principle’ of advising no alcohol at all should hold. However, while advice needs to be clear, we should also take note of evidence which points to the conclusion that small amounts of alcohol are not a significant risk.”
Doctors warn against drinking
While study sheds new light on drinking while pregnant, doctors aren’t quick to embrace the findings.
“We don’t know a safe level, so the smartest advice is: Don’t drink,” Dr. Robert Sokol, professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine said. “If I were pregnant, I wouldn’t drink.”
The Centers for Disease Control says drinking can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome and birth defects, all of which are preventable by not consuming alcohol while carrying a child to term.
