Study: Light drinking may be good for unborn baby
Fotolia Relax and have a glass, mama. It's good for you. |
According to a study released today in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, mothers who drink lightly do not increase the risk of socioemotional problems or cognitive deficits in their children up to age 5.
In fact, researchers found children born to mothers who drank lightly actually did better than their cohorts born to teetotal mothers. Children born to light drinkers were less likely to have hyperactivity and difficulties while scoring higher on cognitive tests. According to the abstract:
Boys and girls born to light drinkers were less likely to have high total difficulties (for boys 6.6% vs 9.6%, OR=0.67, for girls 4.3% vs 6.2%, OR=0.69) and hyperactivity (for boys 10.1% vs 13.4%, OR=0.73, for girls 5.5% vs 7.6%, OR=0.71) scores compared with those born to mothers in the not-in-pregnancy group. These differences were attenuated on adjustment for confounding and mediating factors. Boys and girls born to light drinkers had higher mean cognitive test scores compared with those born to mothers in the not-in-pregnancy group: for boys, naming vocabulary (58 vs 55), picture similarities (56 vs 55) and pattern construction (52 vs 50), for girls naming vocabulary (58 vs 56) and pattern construction (53 vs 52). Differences remained statistically significant for boys in naming vocabulary and picture similarities.
Light drinking was defined as one or two drinks per week or per occasion.
Smoking however is still completely bad for you.
Re: Drinking during pregnancy is good for baby
Oh, TTT. Stirring the pot today, are we?
(BTW, I agree, red wine is no biggie in pregnancy. The problem is that Americans, including myself, have no idea what "moderation" really means.)
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy. There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink and no safe kind of alcohol.
Source: the CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/index.html
ETA: I don't really care what people do, it's their choice and their bodies. But it's hardly a clear cut issue. For me, not even close to the risk. It's nine lousy months, I can hold off.
PPC - I didn't know you were KU again - congratulations!!!
I guess my occasional glass of wine explains why Sam is so brilliant:
I am a runner, knitter, scientist, DE-IVF veteran, and stage III colon cancer survivor.
My new "mom" blog: http://realityofamommy.blogspot.com
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Notes:
Thanks!!
Sam is so freaking adorable! And brilliant too, I am sure :-)
There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. There is now. According to this study, a safe amount is about a glass a week.
I am a runner, knitter, scientist, DE-IVF veteran, and stage III colon cancer survivor.
Hmmm I suspected this.
I am very curious as to who you are.
Unless of course you are trying to go incognito.
I guess you should go ahead and alert the CDC then.
Incognito, yes. Do I know you? Most definitely
What is "about" a glass a week, though? That's just not really conclusive enough for me.
FAS is always realted to "heavy" drinking during pregnancy. I personally stopped drinking during 1st tri, but I have no problem with a glass of wine every week or two starting soon.
It was fine for our mothers to drink during pregnancy and most of us turned out just fine. I do understand that some people can't have just one glass or don't understand moderation so stopping completely makes the most sense for them.
This is kind of like saying car accidents are 100% preventable by not getting into or driving a car. Well, yeah...
At any rate, there is currently zero evidence that light drinking is bad for baby and there is now some evidence that light drinking is actually good for baby, so I hope the "OMG WHY CAN'T YOU JUST NOT DRINK DON'T YOU LOVE YOUR BABY??" can stop.
I think it is important to understand that the CDC is making the recommendation based on (a) our historical inability to comprehend the notion of "moderation," and (b) a lack of studies monitoring women who have occasional small servings of alcohol. This is a study that does just that.
There are no studies that demonstrate harm to fetuses when pregnant women have occasional small servings of alcohol. Conversely, there are numerous studies demonstrating serious harm from frequent consumption of alcohol or occasional binge drinking. This is why the CDC makes its recommendation.
Also - the definition of a small serving is given in the study - it's not at all vague.
I am a runner, knitter, scientist, DE-IVF veteran, and stage III colon cancer survivor.
Interesting.
My last OB was completely okay with one small glass of wine per week in the 3rd tri.
What I find funny with this debate is that studies have found morning sickness is your bodies way of protecting the fetus from toxins (https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356638,00.html) before I knew I was pregnant, I had a small glass of champagne, followed by a lot of food, I was nauseus after, and puked, and all that came up was the alcohol. I take it as my body rejecting it. But then again, it is the first trimester...
I'm not going to drink now that I now- but I don't frown on women who have the occasional drink while pg. If I use mouthwash with alcohol or there's a little in my food at a restaurant I'm not going to worry about it.
Red wine has been shown to have positive effects on the heart. I think that might have something to do with the reasoning behind it??
ETA: My doctor just said any old kind of wine was fine. Stay away from booze and beer, obvs.
You're conflating correlation and causation. Also, I'm curious about how you know it was alcohol. You didn't test your puke, did you? Do you really think your body is capable of separating individual ingredients and only getting rid of what it doesn't want?
You disagree based on what? Just how you feel? Or do you have some research to back it up?
And, tons of things you willingly partake in can have "permanent, life altering implications for your child." Like, driving in a car (and getting in an accident).
I didn't drink while pregnant, and I more than likely won't in the future. Thats my perogative. But the logic fails in this thread are why I probably, also, won't come back to 1st tri. I think my head will explode.
So there's no amount of scientific evidence that would convince you that light drinking during pregnancy is OK?
How is it careless to do something that has scientifically shown to be safe?
And if light drinking during pregnancy is not only not harmful but is actually beneficial, isn't it actually riskier NOT to drink because you're risking losing those benefits? Shouldn't we be criticizing and judging the women who *don't* drink a glass of wine each week because they're denying their child the benefits of light drinking and dooming them to hyperactivity disorders?
It's one article - one study - which looks at correlation - not causation at all in this study.
I was on my second glass of WHITE wine when I decided to take my pg test - BFP. Took a second test and had a few more sips waiting. Unfortunately my body had no problem with it. I really hope I'm not broken or my blastocyst wasn't showing early signs of alcoholism.
Well, I had a glass of pink champagne followed by veggie sushi, 3 small plates of nacho dip with cheese and ground beef in it, cheese and crackers, and some date squares. Then we drove home and about 3 hours after the champagne, I vomited and it was a pure pink liquid and taste exactly like the champagne. I don't know how my body did it, but none of the food came up- just a pink liquid that left an alcohol after-taste in my mouth.
I'm not making a statement or judging anyone who has a glass of wine while pregnant (because even if I didn't know- I did too). I just found it interesting that it happened like that and was sharing my story.
The only thing that made me sick during my pregnancy were brussel spouts. Seriously. I guess they are toxic and pregnant women should avoid them.
You might want to learn a little bit about biology and digestion, then.
Grrr!!!
Oh and I think by "a glass" they mean 6 oz.
Good point. I don't really know the reasons, just throwing my .02 out there.
THIS!! epphd is 100% correct!
I don't drink at all, ever, because I am allergic to beer and wine and don't like the taste of hard alcohol.
When I was in the hospital pg with DD for preterm labor the perinatologist suggested I have a small glass of wine a night in addition to taking my medication every 6 hours. He suggested with his hands about an inch deep of wine. I told him I couldn't because my face will swell up like and look like the klumps. Instead I just took medication until 36 weeks.
This particular mix of food and booze would have made me vomit before I was pregnant. Goes back to the correlation vs causation thing.
It doesn't have the same antioxidant benefits.
Beer is better while breastfeeding though. Dark beer can help keep up supply. All about the "other" stuff in it.
Well, if we want to use the study, that actual findings were:
That is, it says light drinking isn't bad for the kid, not that it's good for the kid. Scientists aren't as ballsy as bloggers.
Also, "per week or per occasion" implies most people drank less than 1-2 drinks per week. They would have counted someone that drank at a Christmas party and a New Years in the drinking group.
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Results Boys and girls born to light drinkers were less likely to have high total difficulties (for boys 6.6% vs 9.6%, OR=0.67, for girls 4.3% vs 6.2%, OR=0.69) and hyperactivity (for boys 10.1% vs 13.4%, OR=0.73, for girls 5.5% vs 7.6%, OR=0.71) scores compared with those born to mothers in the not-in-pregnancy group. These differences were attenuated on adjustment for confounding and mediating factors. Boys and girls born to light drinkers had higher mean cognitive test scores compared with those born to mothers in the not-in-pregnancy group: for boys, naming vocabulary (58 vs 55), picture similarities (56 vs 55) and pattern construction (52 vs 50), for girls naming vocabulary (58 vs 56) and pattern construction (53 vs 52). Differences remained statistically significant for boys in naming vocabulary and picture similarities.