Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can contribute to various deficits such as growth retardation, facial abnormalities and brain damage. Previous scientific studies have used high enough levels of alcohol to cause show the effects. A team of researchers from Binghamton University in the United States therefore performed experiments with small amounts of alcohol to prove that there is no such thing as safe drinking for the fetus. The results were published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
One exposure and already consequences
Female rats were exposed to alcohol vapor for a period of 6 hours on their 12th day of gestation. It was the only time where these guinea pigs have been in contact with ethanol. The offspring were then subjected to a series of anxiety tests. The researchers found that anxiety was higher in male rats during their teenage years. After entering adulthood, the effects were reversed: male rats exposed to ethanol exhibited reduced anxiety compared to control rats. Regarding the female offspring, she did not seem to be affected.
Researchers say this study proves that there is no alcohol limit to be observed during pregnancy. Total abstinence is highly recommended. The team now wants to do more research to find out exactly what has changed in the brains of these animals to cause such levels of anxiety and why only males have been affected.
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