ScienceDaily... Babies conceived by women who drink alcohol around the time of conception face dramatically increased risks of type 2 diabetes and obesity in early middle age, a University of Queensland study has found. The discovery was made by School of Biomedical Sciences scientist Associate Professor Karen Moritz during research into how events -- particularly alcohol consumption -- before and during pregnancy affect the long-term health of offspring.
Using a laboratory rat model, Dr Moritz and PhD student Ms Emelie Gardebjer discovered that the equivalent of five standard drinks consumed around the time of conception altered the development of the fetus.
"Before the egg implants, before any organs start to develop, alcohol consumption somehow causes changes to the embryo," Dr Moritz said.
"Anything that affects fetal development can cause long term programming, which means offspring can be born with increased risk and susceptibility to disease later in life.
"Monitoring the offspring of the laboratory rat model, we found the risk of becoming obese and developing type 2 diabetes in early middle age dramatically increased.
"The usual risk factors of these two diseases are attributed to poor diet and lack of exercise, but our research showed exposure to alcohol around conception presents a risk similar to following a high-fat diet for a major proportion of life."
Dr Moritz said the study was particularly important as 50 per cent of pregnancies in Australia were unplanned.
"Although most women stop drinking once they discover they are pregnant, a significant proportion are consuming alcohol at the time of conception, before they even know," she said.
"Our future research will be focusing on the possibility of administering preventative interventions.
"One possibility is giving some type of nutrient to the mother, even in later pregnancy, to see if the changes caused by the early alcohol exposure can be prevented, and in turn prevent the possible long-term disease outcomes for offspring."
Journal Reference:
E. M. Gardebjer, S. T. Anderson, M. Pantaleon, M. E. Wlodek, K. M. Moritz. Maternal alcohol intake around the time of conception causes glucose intolerance and insulin insensitivity in rat offspring, which is exacerbated by a postnatal high-fat diet. The FASEB Journal, 2015; 29 (7): 2690 DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-268979
University of Queensland. "Drinking at conception boosts diabetes risk for baby, study shows." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 31 July 2015. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150731103746.htm
Related Stories
Early Pregnancy Alcohol Linked to Heightened Premature, Small Baby Risk Mar. 10, 2014 — Drinking alcohol during the first three months of pregnancy may heighten the risk of having a premature or unexpectedly small baby, suggests research. Drinking during the period leading up to ... read more Epigenetic Changes in Twins of Dieting Mothers Increases Risk of Obesity and Diabetes Apr. 1, 2012 — Expectant mothers might feel a little better about reaching for that pint of ice cream: New research suggests that twins, and babies of mothers who diet around the time of conception and in early ... read more Pre-Pregnancy Diet Affects the Health of Future Offspring, Mouse Study Suggests July 1, 2011 — Poor maternal diet before conception can result in offspring with reduced birth weights and increased risk of developing type II diabetes and obesity. In a new study, mice that were fed a low protein ... read more Drinking During Pregnancy Increases Risk of Premature Birth, Study Finds Apr. 10, 2011 — Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight. But there are conflicting reports about how much alcohol, if any, it is ... read more Strange & Offbeat
Poster Comment:
To verify, next time see fatso ask if mother was a lush.