The study offered few statistics, figures or comparisons - just
129 foetuses were observed via one test - a buzzing sound on the
abdomen. Through this it was concluded that the foetuses of mothers
who drank between five to seven units (8g) of alcohol a week had
less of a startle reaction to the noise and were therefore suffering
from' some degree of neural dysfunction', although the babies
passed physical development tests at birth.
Numerous studies have shown that foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
does not occur in babies born to women who consume between 10
and 20g alcohol a day. The incidence of FAS is extremely low,
affecting 1 birth per 10,000 in the US and European figures are
approximately 20 times lower than in the US. The UK Department of Health and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists concluded in 1997 that there are no ill effects of light consumption,
that is 10g alcohol per day, on the foetus.
