Wine &
Health, feb/mar 2006
Over the recently ended holidays, we watched
at various gatherings as:
- Some pregnant women bemoaned their inability
to have a glass of wine
- Some pregnant women had a glass of wine
(one gal even had two!)
- Non-pregnant women shook their heads,
wrung their hands and/or whispered disparagingly
about the women who had decided to go ahead
and have a glass of wine…
Interesting.
From this non-breeder's perspective, it
seems simple enough. Generations of American
rugrats were born to parents who imbibed
on a regular basis - and those generations
have done pretty well, by all appearances.
So could a single glass of wine really be
that horrible? Maybe so...
These days, it must be admitted, women
are practically terrorized into abstaining
completely. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Birth
defects. Even one sip…
The truth is, there is not anything close
to consensus on this topic. According to
one medical source(1), Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
(FAS) is "…extremely rare, occurring
only 3 times in 100,000 births." At
the other extreme, the National Organization
on FAS (www.nofas.org)
claims that "FAS affects 1 in 100 live
births or as many as 40,000 infants each
year."
Huh? Is it 1 in 33,333... or 1 in 100?
That's a pretty big spread. And what does
"affects" mean? Is that just more
statistical doublespeak from a group with
an agenda? No one seems to know for sure.
And is it just me, or does the whole issue
seemed to be tinged with just a wee bit
of hysteria? From the wide eyed whispering
and finger pointing over one measly glass
of Chardonnay, to the Surgeon General label
slapped on every bottle of wine, beer and
spirits sold in the U.S.
At the end of it all, I am not aware of
any conclusive evidence that shows
that moderate or occasional drinking during
pregnancy harms the fetus. "Moderate"
seems to be defined here, as elsewhere,
as one or two drinks per day. On the other
hand, the fact that abusive drinking negatively
affects a fetus seems firmly established
- in medical science and in everyday common
sense.
Of course, most baby docs are going to
prescribe complete abstinence. In this day
of hair-trigger malpractice suits, I'm sure
I would, too. And maybe some actually believe
that even one sip of wine over a nine-month
period can actually cause serious harm to
the fetus. And yes, there are some who "allow"
a glass of wine every now and then, or even
everyday.
But at the end of the day, it seems like
women are going to have to make this decision
for themselves - considering medical advice,
paying attention to what their own bodies
are telling them, and factoring in a bit
of common sense along with a healthy dose
of moderation in all things.
(1) To
Your Health! Two Physicians Explore the
Health Benefits of Wine
written by David Whitten and Martin Lipp
of the University of California at San Francisco
Other interesting links:
http://www.stratsplace.com/rogov/wine_expect_mother.html
http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Archives/Show_Article/0,1275,182,00.html
http://www.drspock.com/faq/0,1511,8263,00.html
http://www.nofas.org/
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