Occasional binge drinking may not harm fetus: study

By Michael Kahn

LONDON (Reuters) - Pregnant women who occasionally overindulge in a night of drinking may not be harming their fetuses but more evidence is needed to determine whether this is really the case, British researchers said on Wednesday.

A review of 14 studies also suggested children whose mothers binge drank throughout pregnancy may suffer learning problems later in life, prompting a call for further research to see if any links exist.

"Just because we haven't been able to find much evidence doesn't mean there is no effect," said Ron Gray, a clinical epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, who led the study. "Our view is there needs to be more research."

A number of studies have linked heavy drinking on a regular basis during pregnancy to stunted growth, birth defects and brain development problems.

Less clear is the effect of occasional binge drinking, which amounted to about 5 drinks in one session in the studies Gray and his team reviewed.

The researchers initially identified more than 3,500 scientific papers between 1970 and 2005 looking at pregnancy and alcohol, which they winnowed down to 14 focusing on binge drinking.

LITTLE EVIDENCE

They found little substantive evidence binge drinking once in a while caused problems such as miscarriage, stillbirth, abnormal birth weight, or birth defects such as fetal alcohol syndrome.