MOTHERS-TO-BE should be advised not to drink alcohol, as it may pose health risks to the unborn baby, doctors have said.
Despite recommendations from the Department of Health that women can safely drink one or two units of alcohol a week, a team of psychiatrists in London said several studies had cast doubt on the guidance.
The authors of an editorial published in the British Medical Journal recently looked at reports into foetal alcohol syndrome - a condition developed by some babies exposed to alcohol in the womb, which causes stunted growth, facial abnormalities and brain disorders.
An overarching foetal alcohol spectrum disorder - traceable to the pregnant mother's alcohol consumption during pregnancy - has also been identified, the authors from St George's Hospital Medical School said.
Both the syndrome and disorder cause a wide range of behavioural disorders, they argue, including hyperactivity, problems with mental organisation, and difficulties in understanding the consequences of one's behaviour.
Source
Despite recommendations from the Department of Health that women can safely drink one or two units of alcohol a week, a team of psychiatrists in London said several studies had cast doubt on the guidance.
The authors of an editorial published in the British Medical Journal recently looked at reports into foetal alcohol syndrome - a condition developed by some babies exposed to alcohol in the womb, which causes stunted growth, facial abnormalities and brain disorders.
An overarching foetal alcohol spectrum disorder - traceable to the pregnant mother's alcohol consumption during pregnancy - has also been identified, the authors from St George's Hospital Medical School said.
Both the syndrome and disorder cause a wide range of behavioural disorders, they argue, including hyperactivity, problems with mental organisation, and difficulties in understanding the consequences of one's behaviour.
Source