Pregnancy: Odd Drink May Not Hurt
6:25pm UK, Friday October 31, 2008
Women who drink a glass of wine once a week throughout their pregnancy may not be harming their unborn children.
Researchers at University College London found boys born to light drinkers get higher scores in vocabulary tests.
Girls are also thought to benefit, with researchers finding 30% of those born to light drinkers are less likely to have emotional and peer interaction problems.
Lead researcher Dr Yvonne Kelly said that, for some behavioural outcomes, children born to light drinkers were "less likely" to have problems compared to children of mothers who drank nothing at all.
However, Dr Kelly conceded that her findings might be because light drinkers tend to be more socially advantaged than abstainers.
But she added: "It may also be that light drinking mothers tend to be more relaxed themselves and this contributes to better behavioural and cognitive outcomes."
But chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson did not change his official advice to pregnant women.
He said: "Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol."
Researchers examined data on 12,495 three-year-olds, looking at the mothers' drinking patterns during pregnancy and assessments of the behaviour and mental skills of their children.
They defined light drinkers as those who consume 1-2 units per week or per occasion.
:: The researchers' findings are published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
