Commentary: Light drinking in pregnancy: can a glass or two hurt?

摘要

High levels of alcohol consumption in pregnancy are known to be associated with later childhood cognitive, developmental and behavioural problems. Possible risks associated with low levels of drinking are less clearly established.Conflicting research findings in this area are likely to reflect a range of methodological factors including the classification, measurement and level of exposure investigated; the nature and size of the sample; the range and measurement of confounding factors that have been considered; and the timing and measurementof outcomes. A recent systematic review has recommended the need for population-based cohort studies that further investigate possible adverse effects from low-level alcohol consumption.Following on from recent investigations involving the large-scale ALSPAC3 and MUSP4 birth cohorts, the accompanying paper reports on one of the largest cohort studies investigating the association between pre-natal alcohol exposure and behavioural and developmental outcomes. This allows for the detection of small differences at the population level and also provides the opportunity to explore gender differences in risk. After accounting for missing data, the sample size ranged from 8775 for cognitive outcomes to 9460 for mental health outcomes.