Although it has always been recommended that pregnant women abstain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy, this recommendation is not always followed to the letter.
A study led by Paule Latino-Martel of the National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) and network coordinator of NACRE (National Network Food Cancer Research) in France, shows that pregnant women who consume alcohol increase the risk of their child developing acute myeloid leukemia.
AML is a rare type of cancer that attacks the white blood cells in bone marrow.
After interviewing 21 women about their drinking habits when they were expecting a child, researchers identified an increased risk of 56% for children whose mothers drank.
"Despite the current recommendations for pregnant women, who are reminded that they should not drink during pregnancy, the rate of alcohol consumption during pregnancy is 12% in the U.S., 30% in Sweden , 52% in France, 59% in Australia and 60% in Russia," said Paule Latino-Martel.