Very Mild Alcohol Consumption during Pregnancy Not Harmful, Study Finds

Rebecca Lewis April 18, 2013

Going out to have some drinks even when you’re pregnant is fine, according to a new study, as long as it does not exceed 2 units per week.

Published in the journal International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG), the study analysed some 10,534 children whose mums had either abstained or drank very little alcohol while pregnant. Data were collected from the Millennium Cohort Study – a national study of infants born in UK between 2000 and 2002. When the children were nine months, their mums were asked whether they had drunk alcohol during pregnancy and at the age of 7, teachers of these children were asked to assess their intellectual, social and behavioural performance, including hyperactivity and attention problems.

Among the mothers who participated in the study, 57 per cent drank a little during pregnancy while 28 per cent abstained. After analysing the results, the researchers found a very little difference between the two groups, which made them conclude that very mild alcohol consumption is not harmful during pregnancy.

Light drinking was defined as consuming up to two units of alcohol per week (a unit is equivalent to half a pint of a single measure of spirits).

"We know heavy drinking during pregnancy has a very deleterious effect, but it is very unlikely that drinking small amounts will have an impact” said Prof Yvonne Kelly, co-author of the study. She added that it doesn’t seem biologically plausible that small amounts of alcohol will affect the child. The environment where he or she grows has more massive effects.

However, the researchers call for further studies to determine whether there are long-term adverse effects associated with low alcohol consumption during pregnancy which may emerge later in childhood.

Abstinence is the Safest Option

Because it is still unknown whether low consumption of alcohol during pregnancy could have serious effects in the child later in life, experts say it is much better to just abstain from drinking. According to Patrick O’Brien, a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the study was well-designed as it controlled for socio-economic and cultural confounding factors. In his comments, he highlighted that "no-one is suggesting drinking alcohol while pregnant is beneficial."

Another expert, Linda Geddes, author of the pregnancy book “Bumpology” agrees to this. She said a lot of women are conflicted – they know their mums also had a little drink when pregnant with them, they see relatives and friends drink, and they may think that occasional drinking is okay. Nevertheless, they also know that the best option would be not to drink at all.

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Light drinking ’not harmful to baby’ say scientists