- A new research review has found there is little evidence suggesting that light drinking of alcoholic beverages during pregnancy actually harms unborn babies.
- Midwives and Dept. of health (UK) claim it is better to be safer for pregnant women not to drink any alcohol.
For many years, it was reasoned that too much alcohol could impact a baby’s health when it was in the womb. In fact it was always recommended that expectant mother should not drink at all. It was considered a risk that alcohol could cause severe birth defects and development issues. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy has always been thought of as irresponsible !
The official NHS guidance published last year by the Chief Medical Officers for the UK states pregnant women should not drink because “experts are still unsure exactly how much – if any – alcohol is completely safe for you to have while you’re pregnant”.
However, a survey of research results was issued recently that assessed the safety of light drinking as it is so called, on a babies health during pregnancy. The findings throw some doubt on the government guidelines and may reflect new attitudes are required on how alcohol should be viewed. The review has been published in the journal, BMJ Open.
The researchers are based at the Medical Research Council’s Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, the University’s School of Social and Community Medicine, and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.
Light drinking is classified as 4 units of alcohol per week. When you look at how much a unit is, it is visualised as two units being equivalent to one standard glass of wine (175ml, 11.5% ABV). One unit is also a half pint of beer, cider at 3.5% ABV or a lager and a single measure of spirits. The implication was that two glasses of wine might be drunk per week.
The team from Bristol assessed 26 studies where they established that drinking up to four units a week while pregnant, was associated on average with an eight per cent higher risk of having a smaller baby (an AGA) compared with drinking no alcohol. Even then the babies were roughly between 2 and 14 percent smaller and there was “limited evidence for a causal role of light drinking in pregnancy, compared with abstaining, on most of the outcomes examined.”
Having stated this fact, there was no other evidence on the ‘outcomes’ such as abortion and miscarriage, developmental delays, birth defects, behavioural problems or impaired intelligence. An association means that there is no direct cause between the light drinking and production of smaller babies.
in their view, the “distinction between light drinking and abstinence” has been “the point of most tension and confusion for health professionals and pregnant women” and has contributed to “inconsistent guidance and advice now and in the past.”
It added: “This issue remains of great public health importance, with alcohol consumption during pregnancy prevalent in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia with up to 80% of women consuming some alcohol during pregnancy.”
Around much of the world, the call to avoid alcohol is consistent:-
(1) In the USA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say women must avoid all alcohol if they are not using birth control and there is any chance of pregnancy. It’s worth noting that one in 10 pregnant women in the US between ages 18 and 44 have at least one alcoholic drink per month.
(2) The Department of Health and The Royal College Of Midwives (RCM) believe the best course of action if for women to avoid drinking altogether.
However this evidence is likely to sow doubt in the minds of many about the evidence provided to support claims. Generally moderation has always been advised. Naturally, the researchers also urge caution about interpretation of the results. They back the view of abstinence because they claim that a lack of evidence of harm is not the same as proof that it is fine to drink and there is insufficient data to make robust conclusions.
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