A new study found moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy may not cause neurodevelopmental balance problems in children.
British researchers tested 7,000 10-year-olds' balancing abilities. Balance is a strong indicator of neurodevelopment while in the womb, according to HealthDay. The study defined "moderate" alcohol consumption as between three to seven glasses a week. The research team warned there could be other factors leading up to the findings, such as maternal education and wealth.
"[There's] certainly no evidence that moderate alcohol use by pregnant mums is good for their kids, and [there are] reasons to be cautious about other messages around 'benefits' of moderate alcohol use by pregnant mums," John Mcleod, a co-author of the study, said. "But equally, [there's] no strong evidence for important harmful effects."
Another study conducted in April found seven-year-olds who's mothers had drank lightly during pregnancy (one or two drinks per week) showed no increased risk for mental defect. The study asked 6,915 women about their drinking habits when they were 18 weeks pregnant, and then again when the children were four.
Seventy percent of the women abstained from drinking alcohol, but 25 percent admitted to drinking lightly to moderately. Seven of the women engaged in "binge drinking," which is classified as having at least four glasses in one sitting. When the children were four 50 percent of the women consumed three to seven glasses a week, the moderate drinkers were usually older and better educated.
At the age of 10 the children were asked to perform balance tests such as walking across a balance beam, the tests showed the children who's parents had drank moderately during pregnancy and after actually had better balance.
Children of mother's who had the "low alcohol gene," which inhibits the effect of alcohol, did not perform worse on their balance tests.
"Some women may not recall how much they drank or may under-report use, particularly when there is a social stigma associated with what you are asking about," she said. So "getting an accurate assessment of how much alcohol a child was exposed to is going to be difficult" said Dr. Francine Einstein, from the department of obstetrics & gynecology and women's health at Montefiore Medical Center. "For these reasons, I would be reluctant to tell my patients that drinking in pregnancy is a good idea."
Einstein said other factors should be tested, such as reading and math proficiency.
