Ojo, para madres Lactantes!

Drinking Alcohol While Breast-Feeding Tied to Worse Cognition in Offspring

By Kelly Young

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

Infants whose mothers drank alcohol while breast-feeding had lower cognition scores by age 6, according to an observational study in Pediatrics.

Australian researchers followed over 5000 children from infancy through age 11. Roughly 4700 of these infants were ever breast-fed. Mothers were asked about their alcohol intake during breast-feeding. 

After controlling for potential confounders, heavier maternal alcohol consumption during breast-feeding was associated with lower nonverbal reasoning scores in a dose-response manner at age 6–7 years. By age 10–11, the difference was no longer significant. The authors suggest that variables like increased education by this age may mediate the effects of alcohol exposure.

Commentators note: "Although findings in this study were independent of prenatal alcohol consumption, pregnancy alcohol use was recorded by maternal self-report retrospectively, and there are often multiple psychosocial and other pressures for women to deny gestational substance use."

They add: "A mother who uses alcohol while breastfeeding may have a current alcohol use disorder and be more likely to provide insensitive handling of her child or to have problems with self-regulation, impulsivity, impaired judgment, and the ability to make safe choices for herself and/or her child."

Pediatrics article (Free abstract)

Pediatrics editorial (Subscription required)

Pediatrics early-release website (if above links aren't working) (Free)

Background: NEJM Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicinecoverage of alcohol exposure in pregnancy (Your NEJM Journal Watch registration required)

Benjamin Hidalgo-Matlock

Skin Care Physicians of Costa Rica

4000-1054

2101-9574

Please excuse the shortness of this message, as it has been sent from a mobile device.