One of the concerns of future moms is related to alcohol consumption during pregnancy. It is common to think that "nothing happens for a drink" or what "It is preferable to drink a glass of anxiety that causes withdrawal", but considering that the effects of alcohol on the baby are irreversible, the most advisable is avoid it completely.
A review of 26 studies recently published in the British Medical Journal ensures that there is no proof that it is safe to drink low levels of alcohol during pregnancy, so it is still necessary to warn that if you are pregnant you should not drink alcohol.
How to determine how much is moderate?
The main drawback on the study of the effects of alcohol on pregnancy is that, on the one hand, it is impossible to carry out clinical trials, since it would imply that a group of women should drink alcohol during pregnancy, which is clearly unethical. On the other hand, in observational studies you can never be sure that the results are due to alcohol consumption or other factors.
The researchers then resorted to systematically review all data from a wide range of observational studies. Studies that involved pregnant women or women trying to conceive, and reported their alcohol consumption. The researchers evaluated the impact of moderate consumption compared to zero alcohol consumption.
The women who reported drink small amounts of alcohol One or two units, once or twice a week (two units is equivalent to a pint of strong beer or a medium glass - 175 ml - of light white wine) had a 8% more likely to give birth to a small baby for gestational age.
The placenta does not filter the alcohol consumed by the motherTherefore, the amount consumed will reach the baby directly, with the risks that this could have on a human being with a much smaller size and whose organs are still developing.
It is impossible to determine a safe amount of alcohol, because each organism is different. What in one pregnant woman may not do anything, in another it can have serious consequences. It is not known for sure the amount that can affect the baby, although it seems not, even a moderate consumption of alcohol in pregnancy can affect the baby.
It would be irresponsible to establish a moderate measure of alcohol consumption for all pregnant women. The safest amount is: not a drop.Better safe than sorry
Recall that alcohol consumption is one of the most frequent causes of mental retardation and is also related to other developmental risks such as malformations, growth retardation, low weight, behavioral problems, and in important consumption during pregnancy babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the United States recommends not drinking a drop of alcohol not only for pregnant women, but for all women of childbearing age who do not use contraceptives.
On the other hand, in the United Kingdom, one of the countries most affected by this problem, government guidelines were maintained that recommended a maximum of two drinks per week for pregnant women. But in 2016 the recommendations have changed to "zero alcohol "during pregnancy or trying to conceive. They say that "alcohol can cause more harm to the fetus than smoking tobacco or even marijuana." With alcohol in pregnancy, it is Better safe than sorry.
