Even moderate drinking will damage fetus

An new U.S. study shows that pregnant mothers who take as little as one drink a day will have babies that suffer from stunted growth throughout their lives.

The team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh found even moderate drinking by mothers will affect their children well into adolescence.

“There is no safe level. Don’t drink at all during pregnancy, and if you are planning on getting pregnant, don’t drink,” epidemiologist Nancy Day, the leader of the team, said in a Reuters news story published last week.

The researchers found that the children of mothers who drank had stunted growth well past the age of 14, compared with the children of mothers who didn’t drink during pregnancy.

“Children of mothers who drank at least one drink a day during their first trimester weigh up to 16 pounds less, on average, than children with no exposure,” Day said.