ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, PREGNANCY, AND LOW BIRTHWEIGHT

Abstract The relation between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and birthweight was investigated prospectively in 900 white women. With adjustment for social class and cigarette smoking, women drinking more than 100 g alcohol a week had a risk of delivering a baby on or below the 10th centile more than double that of women drinking less than 50 g a week. The effect of alcohol was synergistic with that of smoking. Drinking at about the time of conception seems to be important for this effect; therefore, health education should be directed at reducing alcohol consumption before pregnancy.