Is Light Drinking OK in Pregnancy?

New research suggests that light to moderate drinking during early pregnancy might not harm the baby’s brain development. In the United States, pregnant women are advised to drink no alcohol. But there’s little research on the effects of light to moderate drinking on a fetus. The new research consisted of 5 related studies. They included 1,600 Danish women. Researchers compared groups who drank different amounts of alcohol during pregnancy. Light drinking was defined as 1 to 4 drinks per week. Moderate drinking was 5 to 8 drinks. High consumption was 9 or more. In Denmark, a drink is defined as 0.4 ounces of pure alcohol. That’s two-thirds of the U.S. definition, 0.6 ounces. At age 5, the women’s children were given tests of IQ and attention span. Tests also measured executive function. This governs self-control and the ability to plan.