Decades ago in Ireland, it would not have been uncommon for a doctor to advise pregnant and breastfeeding women to drink Guinness. But today, experts (especially in the United States) warn of the dangers associated with drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

“Alcohol is a teratogen, which causes birth defects. It can damage the fetal brain and other organ systems,” said Dr. Erin Tracy, obstetrician / gynecologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of obstetrics at Harvard Medical School. , gynecology and reproductive gynecology. “We do not know of any safe dose of alcohol during pregnancy, which is why we recommend abstaining completely during this brief period of a woman’s life.”

What about beer for breastfeeding? “In Britain, it’s a culture that drinking Guinness is good for nursing mothers,” said Karl Siebert, professor emeritus in the department of food science and former director of the brewing program at Cornell University.

Beer in general has been considered a galactagogue, or lactation stimulant, for much of history. In fact, according to irishtimes.com, breastfeeding women in Ireland used to receive a bottle of Guinness a day in maternity hospitals.

According to Domhnall Marnell, Guinness Ambassador, Guinness Original (also known as Guinness Extra Stout, depending on where it was sold) debuted in 1821, and for a time it contained yeast. alive, which had a high iron content, so it was given to anemic people or nursing mothers, before the effects of alcohol were fully understood.