Risks of Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy

A recent study by researchers at University College London found that children of mothers who were light drinkers were not at increased risk of behavioral or neurological difficulties at five years old. However, Emory's Claire Coles, PhD, professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry fears the study will be misinterpreted." Here she discusses the study with Emory Medical Horizon.


More About FAS

When an expectant mother consumes more than a very modest amount of alcohol during pregnancy, she may be putting her baby at risk for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), the worst of which is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Since each individual metabolizes alcohol differently, we continue to recommend that if you are pregnant, it is better not to drink alcohol at all."

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is one of the most common known causes of mental retardation, and the only cause that is entirely preventable.

Coles says she sees hundreds of children in her clinic each year with some form of FASD. "It is estimated that as many as one or two per thousand babies are born with FAS in the United States each year; however less severe effects occur much more frequently -- up to ten times more frequently."