A study conducted by Oxford medical researchers has found evidence that drinking while pregnant can negatively effect a child’s IQ level. While this has for a long time been assumed to be the case, this study is believed to be the first to isolate the medical factors from social influences.
The study was undertaken in conjunction with researchers from the University of Bristol, and was also funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council, using data from the ‘Children of the 90’s’ project. This long-term projects began with collecting data from 14,000 expectant mothers over two decades ago, and has monitored them and their children’s progress ever since.
In order to overcome the problem presented by lifestyle variation the study used genetic variation to investigate the effects of moderate drinking (1–6 units of alcohol per week) over a large test group of over 4,000 women. Since DNA differs randomly across the population, using it as a test base eliminates the possibility of other factors affecting the results.
A strong negative correlation was found between four genetic variants in alcohol-metabolising genes and children’s IQ at age eight. The child’s IQ was on average almost two points lower per genetic modification they possessed. This effect was only evident among the children of women who were moderate drinkers during pregnancy. Researchers thus concluded that “even at these moderate levels, alcohol is influencing foetal brain development.”
Dr Ron Gray from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford said: “This is a complex study but the message is simple: even moderate amounts of alcohol during pregnancy can have an effect on future child intelligence. So women have good reason to choose to avoid alcohol when pregnant.”
Dr Simon Newell, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, added that “this research serves to confirm that drinking even a small amount of alcohol whilst pregnant can do harm to your unborn child.”
This study’s impact on policy has been limited, serving as a confirmation of established assumptions about a mother’s lifestyle during pregnancy. Dr Newall advised, “don’t take a chance with your baby’s health – drink no alcohol at all.”
