Pregnant women can drink a small glass of wine every day, according to new guidelines.
NICE - The National Institute for Clinical Excellence - said that drinking no more than 1.5 units per day does not harm unborn babies. Earlier this year the Department of Health told pregnant women not to drink at all.
The NICE recommendations state that women should drink no more than 1.5 units of alcohol a day. A small glass of 9 per cent alcohol wine is one unit. A bottle of alcopop is 1.4 units, while a half-pint of 3.5 per cent lager or beer would be one unit. A 25ml measure of gin or vodka is also one unit.
A Nice spokesman said:that their experts have seen nothing to back up the fact that women shouldn't drink at all." The Nice guidelines are issued to doctors and are based on a comprehensive review of research on the risks of drinking in pregnancy. These risks include birth defects, miscarriage and in the long-term, delinquency among children whose mothers drink heavily. Experts from the panel which drew up the advice do warn pregnant women to avoid alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy "if possible". But they add that drinking no more than 1.5 units is "not associated with harm to the baby".
They say evidence to support a total ban on expectant mothers drinking is "unclear" although there is a slightly increased risk of miscarriage. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said today that the "safest bet" was for women to abstain from drinking.
October 2007
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