Alcohol Damage More Severe In Children Born To Older, Binge-Drinking Mothers

NM, United States (AHN) – Fetal alcohol syndrome disorder appears to be more frequent and more severe in children born to older mothers who drank during pregnancy, according to a new study.

Researchers from several universities and hospitals examined the effects of maternal age on attention in 462 children born to inner-city women. The researchers examined smoking, binge drinking, and the use of drugs like cocaine, marijuana and opiates. The children were tested at 7 years old.

One of the main findings was that children born to older women who drank during pregnancy have more alcohol-related attention problems than those born to younger women under the age of 29, even if the younger women were binge drinkers.

The children born to older, drinking mothers performed more slowly on cognitive tests and made more errors.

The researchers said the findings are significant because women tend to drink more frequently as they age, and older women are more likely to drink more during pregnancy than younger mothers.

The results of the study will be published in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, but initial findings have already been released.

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