According to the Guardian, a new study out from the University of London, found that not only did moderate drinking (defined as one to two units of alcohol per week) have no noticeable ill effects on three-year olds, but that:
"Boys born to mothers who drank lightly were 40% less likely to have conduct problems and 30% less likely to be hyperactive, even when the differences between social and economic circumstances were taken into account. They also scored more highly in vocabulary tests and were better able to identify shapes, colours, letters and numbers."
These results stuck even when corrected for social circumstances like having parents of a higher socio-economic class and better education. Better outcomes were also reported for girls born to the light drinkers, but these were not as clearly independent from other social factors in those families.
The study adds to the controversy about drinking during pregnancy, as the Guardian notes:
"Although it has always been clear that heavy drinking can seriously damage babies, scientists have not had good evidence either to prove or disprove that light drinking does any harm. Doctors and other health experts have swung uneasily between condoning a drink or two each week and urging women to abstain."
Everyone is clear that abstaining from all alcohol is best in the first trimester of a pregnancy. But whether or not to drink thereafter may best be left up to personal choice, as advice sways back and forth from The Powers That Be.
To drink or not to drink? What do you think? What did you/do you/will you do?
Image: photorepetto.com
