Is it dangerous: drink a small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy?

Already one or two glasses of wine per week can harm the brain development of the child during pregnancy. This was revealed in a American study.

So far, quite a few people believed that small amounts of alcohol are safe during pregnancy. But as a long-term American study has found, even one or two glasses of wine per week may damage the brain development of the unborn child and negatively affect on his intelligence development.

The researchers studied about 4,167 pregnant women for 1991/92 years, and observe their children’s development in the next eight years. The expectant mothers were in the age group from 18 to 32 years old. They were interviewed about their drinking habits during pregnancy. In addition, maternal and child blood samples were taken for genetic testing. Then, at the age of eight years an intelligence test was carried out with the children.

Researchers calling to absolute abstinence.

The study found, that even with a alcohol consumption of alcohol of one to six units adversely affected on the intelligence quotient. A small glass of wine (125ml) contains about 1.5 units of alcohol, a large beer (500 ml) two units. Actually the alcohol, however, it’s harmful affect on the child’s brain, because it causes genetic mutation by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which breaks down the alcohol in the liver to acetaldehyde, influenced by mother to child.

Any unfavorable genetic variant of the alcohol dehydrogenase reduces IQ by an average from one to two points. With more variants, and the impact may be even greater. In women who doesn’t drink alcohol during pregnancy, the ADH genes had no effect on the child’s intelligence. Women with a high consumption of alcohol (more than six units per week) were excluded from the study, because primarily for scientists was the determination of the effect of small amounts of alcohol for children.

“Our findings shows, that even small amounts of alcohol, which were previously considered is harmless and be reflected in the intelligence of the child,” explains one of the study authors, Sarah Lewis. Scientists are therefore calling women during pregnancy, if possible do not drink alcohol.