Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is strongly discouraged for women, and possibly also for men. Explanations.
- Nearly one in four French adults consumes too much alcohol.
- 23.7% of 18-75 year olds exceeded alcohol consumption guidelines between June and July 2020.
In a post published in the FASEB Journal, the team of Dr. Thomas Golding made an astonishing demonstration: men who drink alcohol during pregnancy could have an impact on their unborn baby.
Fetal growth retardation
Scientists have observed that in mice, the offspring of alcohol-exposed fathers exhibit a number of placenta-related difficulties, including increased fetal growth retardation.
“The placenta provides nutrients to the fetus, so growth retardation may be attributed to a less efficient placenta,” explains Thomas Golding. “With paternal alcohol exposure, the placentas become oversized as they attempt to compensate for their inability to deliver food to the baby,” he continues.
A new field of research
However, he qualifies: “yes, males can pass things on to their offspring beyond just genetics, but the mother’s genetics can interpret those epigenetic factors differently, and that ultimately changes how the placenta behaves.”
What in any case open a new field of research, and perhaps change the prevention of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, mainly focused on women in France.
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