Pregnant women who drink small amounts of alcohol during their pregnancy aren’t causing harm to their child, a new study finds.
Health on Female First
Whilst we’re aware of the effect heavy drinking whislt pregnant, the research found that two units a week, the equivalent of a small glass of wine, doesn't in fact harm your child.
In fact, the study suggests that such mothers-to-be may eventually find that their child is better behaved than if they had abstained from alcohol.
Researchers from University College focused on what happened to children at the age of seven whose mothers had drunk no more than two units of alcohol each week during pregnancy. The researchers used information on 10,534 seven-year-olds from The Millennium Cohort Study.
Interestingly, children born to light drinkers were slightly less likely to have behavioral difficulties compared with those born to mothers who did not drink during pregnancy. Also, children born to light drinkers scored slightly higher on cognitive tests than those born to nondrinkers.
Professor Yvonne Kelly, who led the research team, said: ‘There appears to be no increased risk of negative impacts of light drinking in pregnancy on behavioural or cognitive development in seven-year-old children.
‘While we have followed these children for the first seven years of their lives, further research is needed to detect whether any adverse effects of low levels of alcohol consumption in pregnancy emerge later in childhood.’
Women can safely drink a 175ml glass of wine, a 50ml glass of spirits or just under a pint of beer each week without damaging their child’s intellectual or behavioural development, the study found.
Tagged in Alcohol Health Women's Health Pregnancy Health