Pregnant women may drink a small amount of alcohol every day without harming their child, according to new guidance, according to NICE, contradicting the advice given by the government's own health department.
The National Institute of Clinical Excellence recommends that pregnant women can drink up to 1.5 units of alcohol a day – equivalent to a single measure of spirit or a small glass of wine.
The NICE advisers, including doctors and midwives, said that small amounts of alcohol do not appear to harm unborn babies, other than possibly increasing the risk of miscarriage.
But this contradicts advice from the Department of Health, who advise pregnant women not to drink at all.
American research shows that as many as one in 100 unborn babies is damaged by alcohol, causing learning difficulties, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders in later life.
The advice from NICE, however, concludes that there is no consistent evidence of problems caused by “low to moderate” consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.
Dr Raja Mukherjee, of St George's Hospital Medical School in London, told the “We simply do not know what level is safe.” He said: “There is only limited evidence, but it has been shown that if you drink even low levels when pregnant there is a permanent effect compared to women who don't drink. I would suggest the safer option is not to drink.”
A spokesman for NICE told the Daily Mail it was expected that the Department of Health would issue ‘clear advice’ on the subject when the final version of the NICE guidance is published in March.
However, the Department of Health said its advice to avoid drinking completely was ‘simple’ and ‘straightforward’.
Here at Freedom Health Insurance, our very own chief medical officer - a doctor with many years of experience - concurs with the Department of Health's stance in this matter. Reading the limited research and looking carefully at the evidence, he is able to identify negative effects from the consumption of alcohol whilst pregnant.