Consumption of even moderate amounts of alcohol during pregnancy affects the activity of genes in the developing fetus and that these changes last into adulthood, Australian researchers have shown.
"We have long known that alcohol consumption during pregnancy can harm the developing fetus and have life-long effects on the individual's health and well being. What our current research helps to explain is the underlying mechanism," said researcher Dr Suyinn Chong from the Epigenetics Laboratory at Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR).
Pregnancy and Antenatal Care
What is Antenatal care and its importance during pregnancy for mother and baby, with details on the medical test preformed during the first visit to the doctor.
What is Antenatal care and its importance during pregnancy for mother and baby, with details on the medical test preformed during the first visit to the doctor.
"This is a new and exciting area where instead of studying the sequence of the genes, we are looking at the mechanisms that control our genes - known as epigenetics. This is an extra layer of information attached to your DNA which helps regulate the expression of genes - in other words whether they are switched on or off. These epigenetic changes determine whether a gene is converted into protein, which ultimately controls physical traits."
"Using mice as a model, we have shown for the first time that alcohol consumed during the first trimester affects the developing fetus by altering the epigenetic information."
The researchers used specific mice, whose fur colour reflected these epigenetic changes. Half the mothers drank relatively moderate amounts of alcohol (equivalent to a peak blood alcohol reading of 0.12 in humans) during pregnancy, while the other half consumed water.
The mice that drank alcohol had twice as many dark-furred offspring compared to mothers who were not exposed to alcohol. The resulting change in coat colour is an indication of the changed epigenetic state of the coat colour gene.
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Alcohol During Pregnancy can Lead to Foetal Malformations
A few glasses of wine in the first few weeks of foetal life, generally before a woman knows she's pregnant, increases cell death, thereby leading to foetal malformations, say a leading researcher.
A few glasses of wine in the first few weeks of foetal life, generally before a woman knows she's pregnant, increases cell death, thereby leading to foetal malformations, say a leading researcher.
FAS has devastating long-term consequences for the individuals themselves and their families and the number of reported cases in Australia is increasing.
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Thousand of Children in Germany Suffer Birth Defects Because of Heavy Drinking by Mothers
Heavy drinking during pregnancy could mean serious problems for the child. The situation is acute in Germany, and hence many are calling for a concerted campaign to fight the disastrous trend.
Heavy drinking during pregnancy could mean serious problems for the child. The situation is acute in Germany, and hence many are calling for a concerted campaign to fight the disastrous trend.
The paper was published in PLoS Genetics on 15 January.
Source-Medindia
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