Light drinking 'not harmful to baby' say scientists

Light drinking during pregnancy does not harm child behavioural or mental development, reports the journal BJOG.

The abilities of 10,534 UK seven-year-olds, whose mothers had either abstained from alcohol or drank lightly while pregnant, were analysed, BBC reports.

Little difference was found between the two groups - supporting UK government guidelines.

These advise pregnant women to abstain from alcohol, and if they drink, to consume no more than two units a week.
Prof Yvonne Kelly, co-author of the study in An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BJOG) said: "We know heavy drinking during pregnancy has a very deleterious effect, but it is very unlikely that drinking small amounts will have an impact.

"It doesn't seem biologically plausible that small amounts of alcohol would affect development either way. The environment children grow up in is massively more important.

"While we have followed these children for the first seven years of their lives, further research is needed to detect whether any adverse effects from low levels of alcohol consumption in pregnancy emerge later in childhood."

Light drinking was classed as consuming up to two units of alcohol per week. A unit is half a pint of lager or a single measure of spirits.