London: Moms-to-be, please note -- make
sure that you abstain from alcohol, for a new study says that
drinking during pregnancy puts your baby at risk of epilepsy.
Researchers, led by Queens University in Ontario,
have carried out the study and found that children born with a
condition, caused by exposure to alcohol in the womb, are more
likely to suffer from debilitating seizures.
In fact, according to the researchers, being exposed
to alcohol while in the womb damages parts of the developing
brain associated with seizures, the `Daily Mail` reported.
The study looked at 425 people aged between two and
49 who had foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
Fewer than one per cent of people developed epilepsy,
but six per cent of those with FASD had it and 12 per cent had
experienced at least one seizure, the findings revealed.
Dr Dan Savage, a neuroscientist at the University
of New Mexico, said: "This report builds on a growing body
of evidence that maternal drinking during pregnancy may put
a child at greater risk for an even wider variety of
neurological and behavioural health problems than we had
appreciated before.
"The consensus recommendation of scientists and
clinical investigators, along with public health officials
around the world, is very clear -- a woman should abstain
from drinking during pregnancy as part of an overall programme
of good prenatal care."
The study has been published in the latest edition
of the `Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research` journal.
PTI