Research on drinking in moderation while pregnant

Drinking in moderation through pregnancy does not harm a baby’s neurodevelopment, according to research.

Middle class women were found to drink in moderation. Picture: Rob McDougall

Children whose mothers consumed the equivalent of a glass of wine a day were able to balance as well as those who had not been exposed to alcohol in the womb.

Almost 7,000 ten-year-olds were asked to take part in balance tests, which are an indicator of prenatal neurodevelopment. The drinking habits of their mothers had been recorded during and after pregnancy, with those who drank three to seven glasses of alcohol a week classed as moderate drinkers.

Social advantage could be a large factor in the findings, as the research found mothers who were more affluent and better educated were more likely to drink in moderation.

According to the report, mothers from a working class background were more likely to abstain from alcohol through pregnancy, to drink heavily, or binge drink.

Professor John Macleod, from the University of Bristol’s School of Social and Community Medicine, led the study, which has been published by the journal BMJ Open.

“Most of the women in this study either didn’t drink at all or if they did drink, they didn’t drink very much,” he said.

“There weren’t many heavy drinkers. We know that heavy drinking during pregnancy has bad effects on a developing fetus.

“We also found that the women who moderately drank, compared to women who didn’t drink, tended to be more middle class. They were more socially advantaged.”