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How Much Alcohol is Safe to Drink During Pregnancy?

Posted By Dr. Mercola | November 17 2008 | 2774 views
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Lots of expecting mums say they avoid even light drinking, but the latest study indicates that this may be an unnecessary precaution.

Yvonne Kelly and colleagues from University College London analyzed data collected from over 12,000 mothers and children in the UK since 2001. Children whose mothers had one or two alcoholic drinks per week during pregnancy had fewer behavioral and cognitive problems by age 3 than the children of women who abstained completely.

Kelly says that light drinking is unlikely to be physiologically beneficial. Rather, the light drinkers in her study tended to be better educated and have higher incomes than heavy drinkers and abstainers.

However, John Olney, a neuroscientist at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, who has shown that in mice even a small amount of ethanol causes fetal neurons to die off, says it is difficult to detect "anything but massive damage" in people, so low-level harm might go unnoticed.

Sources:

  New Scientist November 9, 2008
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.

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Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

†The World's #1 Natural Health Website claim is based upon Alexa Natural Health Website rankings.

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