Alcohol consumption during pregnancy leads to poor cognitive function of children: Study

Jan 30, 2020

New Delhi, Jan 30 (ANI): According to a new study conducted by researchers, consuming alcohol during pregnancy might lead to the poorer cognitive functioning of children. The study based on 23 published reviews was conducted by the researchers from the University of Bristol and was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology. The researchers further found out evidence that drinking during pregnancy could also lead to lower birth weight reinforcing the UK Chief Medical Officers' #DRYMESTER guidelines which suggest abstaining from alcohol consumption during all trimesters. Approach based on genetic-markers known as ''Mendelian randomization' was also used. Research on this topic has taken place through the 'observational' studies where participants already exposed to a risk factor and researchers do not try to change who is or isn't exposed. While the review was comprehensive it was limited in its ability to establish how much alcohol leads to these negative outcomes. However, the researchers concluded that women should continue to be advised to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy.