Mum's Drinking Habits Linked with Poor Grades at School

A new study from Australia established a link between mothers' drinking habit and the children's poor grades in school.

The study, conducted by researchers at The University of Queensland, included data from over 7000 English children. The team found that even moderate levels of alcohol consumption- 300 ml or about 10 oz of wine per week- negatively affected kids' performance at school.

A recent survey from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that one in 13 pregnant women in the U.S. admit that they had consumed alcohol during pregnancy and some even went binge drinking.

Studies on heavy alcohol intake during pregnancy show that alcohol severely affects babies' brains. One related research had found that heavy alcohol use during pregnancy shrinks the child's brain while another study had found that even moderate drinking during pregnancy lowers the baby's IQ.

The present study found that kids of mothers, who drank during pregnancy, got lower grades.

Researchers said that the heavier the alcohol consumption during pregnancy, the worse was the child's performance at the test. However, fathers' drinking habits didn't affect kids' scores.

Dr Ron Gray, from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford and a co-author of the study, said that alcohol consumed during pregnancy might have affected the baby's developing brain.

"It remains unclear whether any amount of alcohol is safe in pregnancy. The safest plan is to avoid it," Gray said in a news release.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children born to mothers who drink a lot of alcohol during pregnancy can develop a condition known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The condition can be mild to severe and can affect learning, behavior and even cause physical abnormalities.