Exposure to Alcohol Induces Changes in Genes in Pregnant Mothers and Children

Highlights:

Women who drink moderate to heavy amounts may change their babies' genes
Changes to two genes were found: POMC, that involves the stress-response system, and PER2, that monitors the body's biological clock
The babies also had high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, that suppresses the immune system and had other health problems
There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. Abstinence is the key

Alcohol-induced changes in the DNA among pregnant women and their children have no cure, but interventions can be done to help improve the child’s lives.

Mothers who drink moderate to high levels of alcohol during pregnancy may be changing their babies' DNA, according to a Rutgers-led study.

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‘Identifying biomarkers that predict risks from prenatal exposure to alcohol such as altered genes, may help in intervention services that improve child’s development.’
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Study on the Impact of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

"Our findings may make it easier to test children for prenatal alcohol exposure - and enable early diagnosis and intervention that can help improve the children's lives," said lead author Dipak K. Sarkar, a Distinguished Professor and director of the Endocrine Program in the Department of Animal Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

The study by Sarkar and scientists in a Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders is in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

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Building on an earlier Rutgers-led study that found binge and heavy drinking may trigger long-lasting genetic change in adults, the researchers sought alcohol-induced DNA changes in 30 pregnant women and 359 children.

Altered Genes

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They found changes to two genes - POMC, which regulates the stress-response system, and PER2, which influences the body's biological clock - in women who drank moderate to high levels of alcohol during pregnancy and in children who had been exposed to those levels of alcohol in the womb.

What is Heavy and Moderate Drinking?

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Heavy drinking in women is four or more drinks on at least five occasions in a month. Moderate drinking in women is about three drinks per occasion.

"Our research may help scientists identify biomarkers - measurable indicators such as altered genes or proteins - that predict the risks from prenatal alcohol exposure," Sarkar said.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders can include physical or intellectual disabilities as well as behavioral and learning problems. While there is no cure, early intervention treatment services can improve a child's development, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says there is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant.

Alcohol and Cortisol

The study also found that infants exposed to alcohol in the womb - which passes from the mother's blood through the umbilical cord - had increased levels of cortisol, a potentially harmful stress hormone that can suppress the immune system and lead to ongoing health issues.

Reference:

Moderate to Heavy Drinking During Pregnancy Alters Genes in Newborns, Mothers - (https://news.rutgers.edu/moderate-heavy-drinking-during-pregnancy-alters-genes-newborns-mothers/20190815#.XVZO1-gzbct)

Source-Eurekalert