The only guaranteed way to avoid the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure — a leading preventable cause of neurodevelopmental abnormalities and birth defects in the U.S. — is to completely abstain from drinking alcohol while pregnant, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Dr. Janet Williams, a pediatrics professor at the University of Texas Health Center and the report’s co-author, was quoted by HealthDay as having echoed this point in stating that the “only guarantee of having no effects from alcohol is no prenatal alcohol exposure.”
Williams noted that “alcohol has subtle yet important lasting effects on academic performance, attention, behavior, cognition, memory, language skills, and visual and motor development.”
The AAP asserts in the report, which was published in the journal Pediatrics, that drinking booze during pregnancy can induce a lifetime of behavioral and thinking problems.
For those wondering if there’s a safe trimester to drink alcohol, the report plainly states that there is not. As for whether a small amount is acceptable, the APP is clear: “No amount of alcohol intake should be considered safe.”
No amount of alcohol intake should be considered safe.
Beer, liquor and wine all serve to be similar in their risk capacity, according to the report.
As for binge drinking, the risk is increased in relation to the added alcohol.
For women, four or more alcoholic beverages within a two hour span qualifies as binge drinking, according to Williams.
Williams was quoted HealthDay as having said that “the best advice is to avoid pregnancy if drinking and to avoid drinking if pregnant.”
