Rare binge drinking may not hurt fetus

OXFORD, England, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Heavy drinking throughout pregnancy is associated with birth defects, but there may be less risk of occasional binge drinking, a British study found.

University of Oxford researchers who did a meta-analysis of studies from 1975 to 2005 say "there is no consistent evidence of adverse effects" when overall alcohol intake is low and binge drinking is infrequent. Binge drinking was defined for the study as five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting,

The researchers looked at more than 3,500 articles, narrowed their analysis to 14 studies of relevant research and found some methodological flaws in the studies, but all were assessed as being of good quality.

The analysis, published in the British Medical Journal, found little substantive evidence that binge drinking caused a range of problems, including: miscarriage, stillbirth, abnormal birth weight or birth defects, such as fetal alcohol syndrome. But there was some suggestion that it might impair normal neurodevelopment.

"This systematic review found no convincing evidence of adverse effects of prenatal binge drinking, except possibly on neurodevelopmental outcomes," however, further research is required and it might be wise to advise women to avoid binge drinking during pregnancy, just in case, the researchers said in a statement.