The harmful effects of alcohol during pregnancy on the unborn baby are no longer specified. And thanks to prevention, most women stop drinking alcohol once they know they’re pregnant.
However, it appears that the consumption of alcohol at the time of design already poses health risks to the unborn child, according to a study from the University of Queensland (Australia). It was published in the July 2015 issue of Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology(FASEB Journal).
To come to this conclusion, the researchers worked on two groups of female mice at the time of conception. The first group of mice consumed alcohol moderately, the equivalent of five standard drinks in humans, four days before and four days after conception. The second group, or control group, consumed an equally caloric but alcohol-free liquid around the time of conception.
Result: the mice of the “alcoholic” group gave birth to offspring at higher risk of diabetes and obesity than the mice from the control group.
“Even before organ development begins, alcohol consumption already causes changes in the embryo,” warns Professor Karen Moritz, lead author of the study. And this developmental alteration can then lead to long-term changes and an increased risk of chronic disease, according to the researcher.
Thus, the study points out that a greater risk of obesity and diabetes is not only due to a poor diet and / or a lack of exercise during childhood, as one might think. The consumption of alcohol during conception can also come into play. It now remains to educate future mothers so that they opt for an alcohol-free diet even before being sure of being pregnant.
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