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Study Links Alcoholism, Poor Childhood Coordination

Newborns with poor muscle tone and toddlers who took longer than normal to sit or learn to walk were at increased risk for alcoholism at 30 years of age, investigators at the University of Kansas Medical Center found.

"The key finding is that infants who exhibit a subtle delay in motor coordination appear to be at increased risk for developing alcoholism later in life," researcher Barry Liskow, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, said in a prepared statement.

The authors stressed, however, that developmental delays certainly don't mean a child is destined to become alcoholic later in adulthood.