British researchers published the results of a study yesterday that indicated mothers of boys who drank lightly when they were pregnant had smarter, better behaved sons than mothers who abstained completely.

“Drinking lightly” meant 1-2 units of alcohol a week, equivalent to a small glass of wine or one beer.

The sons of mothers who did drink lightly were 30% less likely to be hyperactive, and scored higher on vocabulary and shape, letter, color and number recognition tests at the age of three.

Most doctors say that pregnant women should not drink any alcohol, and according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “no amount of alcohol consumption can be considered safe during pregnancy.”

Moderate and heavy alcohol consumption is well known to be harmful to an unborn baby, causing facial deformities, liver damage, and the potential for a whole set of other serious medical conditions collectively known as fetal alcohol syndrome.

And now, there’s this study that indicates that low levels of alcohol consumption might be beneficial.

But, wait just a second before you run for the corkscrew. I feel you – I would have killed for a nice big glass of red wine at several points during my pregnancy.

The researchers initially found that girls born to moms who drank lightly also scored better when tested, but when they took into account the family social and economic backgrounds, it turned out that mom’s drinking actually didn’t make any difference. When the test results were adjusted to take into account the boys’ family circumstances, there was still a difference between the boys born to moms who drank lightly and those who didn’t.

But are the researchers taking all the factors into account? It makes me suspicious that there’s such a large difference between baby girls and baby boys. Something can’t be right there.

And, are higher scores on letter recognition tests the only measure that matters? The researchers didn’t record if the boys born to moms who drank were healthier, for example. If it’s true that boys born to moms who drink lightly are slightly smarter, they may be suffering in other ways that we don’t know about.

We don’t know for sure what effects light drinking has on an unborn baby, but we do know for sure that the way you parent your baby has a huge impact on their intelligence and behavior. Drinking a glass of wine a week is not the way to have a clever baby: what’s going to make a much greater difference is what you do once the baby is born.

So what’s the best thing for you to do if you are pregnant? Avoid alcohol if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant.

When it comes to mortality rates among newborn babies, it seems that gender has a lot to do with it.

A recent study shows that baby boys are more likely to die than baby girls in industrialized countries like Europe, Canada, the United States, Japan and Australia. In 1970s, boys had about a 30 percent higher chance than girls to die before they reach their 1st birthday. Recently, however, the gap has narrowed down to 20 percent. This improvement in survival rates is most likely due to medical practices that helped more infant boys survive, including more Cesarean sections and intensive care units for premature babies.

So why are baby boys at a disadvantage compared to girls?

? Boys have 60 percent more likelihood than girls to be born prematurely.
? Boys have higher chances of having neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, a condition that makes it difficult for a baby to breathe. This syndrome can occur in premature babies whose lungs have not yet fully developed.
? Boys also face a higher risk of injury and death during term delivery because they tend to have larger bodies and bigger heads

Reading this report and the statistics therein made me realize how lucky I am. My twin boys were born prematurely and spent 2 weeks in a neonatal station for low birth weights and respiratory problems. It seems like a miracle that they are now very healthy almost 5-year olds?

Sources:

MSNBC 24 March 2008Drevenstedt et al. The rise and fall of excess male infant mortality. Proceedings National Academy of Sciences April 1, 2008 vol. 105(13)5016-5021.