Even Light Alcohol intake affects unborn baby

bmj.com - Foetus affected by even moderate alcohol consumption in pregnancy

Light drinking has impact on unborn
Source: Financial Times
Date: 26/05/2006
The Financial Times is the only newspaper to feature the news that a new study has suggested even light to moderate drinking early in pregnancy can lead to cognitive problems in young children. The study, jointly conducted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Washington, is based on data collected from 611 mother-child pairs, and has revealed that modest drinking - particularly during the second trimester - is associated with lower IQs in children at 10 years of age. Women were assessed during each trimester of pregnancy, and again with their children at birth, at eight and 18 months, and at three, six and ten years of age. At age 10 the children's cognitive ability was evaluated using verbal, quantitative, and short-term memory tests. The result was especially pronounced among African-American rather than Caucasian children, however, Jennifer Willford, lead author of the study, said that this racial discrepancy was not due to differences in the amount or pattern of alcohol use during pregnancy or by variations in socioeconomic status.