Research results show that ``father's drinking habits'' cause delayed fetal development and intellectual disability
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, the alcohol passes through the umbilical cord and has an adverse effect on the fetus, so alcoholic beverages come with warnings such as ``Drinking alcohol during pregnancy or breastfeeding may have an adverse effect on the development of the fetus and infant.'' there is. However, research using mice has shown that father's drinking, which has historically received little attention, may also affect children through reproductive function.
JCI - Preconception paternal ethanol exposures induce alcohol-related craniofacial growth deficiencies in fetal offspring
For decades, mothers have borne the brunt of scrutiny for alcohol use during pregnancy − new research points to dad's drinking as a significant factor in fetal alcohol syndrome
https://theconversation.com/for-decades-mothers-have-borne-the-brunt-of-scrutiny-for-alcohol-use-during-pregnancy-new-research-points-to-dads-drinking-as- a-significant-factor-in-fetal-alcohol-syndrome-216601
According to Michael Golding, a developmental physiology researcher at Texas A&M University, fetal alcohol syndrome , in which children are born with impaired physical and brain development, is generally caused by the mother's drinking during pregnancy. This is said to be the cause. However, there are many cases where children of mothers who testified that they did not consume alcohol during pregnancy developed symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome.
For example, a study published in 2022 reported that 41 mothers of children diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome denied drinking alcohol during pregnancy. In most of these cases, the mother is dismissed as lying.
Dr. Golding wondered why the range and severity of fetal alcohol syndrome symptoms could not be explained solely by the amount and duration of alcohol consumed by pregnant women, so he searched for unknown factors other than the mother's alcohol consumption. To this end, we conducted research using mice.
Fetal alcohol syndrome is primarily associated with three congenital abnormalities: facial abnormalities such as small eyes and midface malformations, reduced head and brain growth, and fetal growth restriction. . Based on this, Golding and his colleagues used facial recognition software to investigate the degree of disability in mice born to mothers, fathers, or both who consumed alcohol before having children.
The results showed that chronic alcohol consumption in male mice affected the formation of the offspring's brains, skulls, and faces. Specifically, when male mice consume chronic alcohol consumption equivalent to ``ingesting five or more alcoholic drinks per day within four hours,'' they are shown to be at the core of fetal alcohol syndrome in their offspring. All three birth defects were observed, including microcephaly and low birth weight. In addition, 'one alcoholic drink' is defined as 350ml of beer with an alcohol content of 5%.
In addition to Golding et al.'s research, other studies have reported behavioral changes in male mouse offspring that regularly consume alcohol, and human clinical studies have also shown that paternal alcohol consumption has been linked to heart defects in humans. It has been suggested that it increases the risk.
According to Golding, a father's sperm contains a large amount of epigenetic information that changes the way genes are expressed without changing the DNA sequence, which strongly influences the development and health of the fetus. The research results have been reported.
It is also estimated that about 2% of babies born in the United States are born using assisted reproductive technology, but another study published in 2023 by Golding et al. It has been found that the more alcohol you drink, the lower your chances of getting pregnant, in some cases almost halved.
Commenting on the results of the study using mice, the research team said in their paper, ``Our study is the first to demonstrate that drinking in men is a factor influencing alcohol-related facial abnormalities and growth failure.'' It's research.'
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