SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – A study by University College London suggests light drinking of alcoholic beverages during pregnancy doesn’t appear to harm fetuses. That finding is strongly refuted by the Utah Department of Health. Al Romeo is the director of the Pregnancy Risk Hotline. He says,” It gives the wrong message to moms who are thinking about drinking alcohol. The message that they should be getting is no alcohol during pregnancy or breast feeding."
The UCL study found no difference between the cognitive development and behavioral performance of children born to light drinkers, and women who abstained. But Romeo says that study was flawed because of the way the data was collected. The women were asked long after their babies were born to remember specific amounts they had to drink. "They asked women nine months after delivery what kind of alcohol they had, and how often they had it. I have a hard time remembering what I had for dinner a month ago."
Romeo says thirty years of research has provided overwhelming evidence there is no safe amount of alcohol for pregnant women, because everyone is different. "Every woman metabolizes that alcohol differently and every fetus is affected differently. All of the research from the past says we don't know the specific limit for every specific woman and every specific fetus, so no alcohol is always best."
He also says the consequences of drinking alcohol during pregnancy can be devastating. Facial deformity, learning disabilities, brain damage, and behavioral issues are just some of the possible consequences. “You could prevent a birth defect so why not just avoid alcohol and prevent it altogether."
