Moderate drinking in pregnancy 'harms I.Q.'.
So says a study carried out by researchers from Bristol and Oxford Universities who looked at I.Q. scores of 4000 children while recording the alcohol intake of their mothers.The effect on I.Q. was small when there was a moderate intake, one to six units a week, during pregnancy. Other factors such as mother's age and education were ruled out by looking at changes in genes which are not connected to social effects.
It was found that four genetic variants in alcohol-metabolising genes in children and their mothers related to lower I.Q. at age eight. This I.Q. on average, was almost two points lower for each genetic modification.
However research shows that these differences are small and lower I.Q. has also been shown to be related to socially disadvantaged, having poorer health and even dying younger. The effect was not shown among women who abstained during pregnancy.
Although the advice is for women to decide for themselves whether to drink or not during pregnancy the advice has long been to avoid alcohol. Women who have the occasional alcoholic drink during pregnancy should not be too alarmed but the safest course is obviously abstinence.
1. The level of alcohol in the baby's blood rises as high as the mothers.
2. The baby's liver cannot break down the alcohol as fast as an adults can.
3. An unborn baby exposed to alcohol regularly can develop 'foetal alcohol syndrome'.
4. Binges, even if you don't do it regularly, must definitely be avoided.
At Assured Effects Hypnotherapy in South London and Poole Dorset help is offered to control drinking and overcome addictions. Hypnobirthing services are also available.
