The effect of low alcohol consumption during pregnancy on the lipid peroxidation‐antioxidant defense system of women, their alcohol‐exposed infants, and growth, health, and developmental outcomes

Abstract

BackgroundFew studies have examined the effects of low‐dose alcohol consumption on the “lipid peroxidation‐antioxidant defense” (LPO‐AOD) system of mothers and infants, and on infant growth and development. This study examined effects of alcohol consumption on the LPO‐AOD system of pregnant women and newborns and infant development.MethodsA total of 209 pregnant women were recruited for this prospective study at the first prenatal visit and followed until delivery: 112 consumed alcohol and 97 reported no alcohol use during pregnancy. Infants were evaluated at birth, and at 6 and 12 months of age. The study controlled for the confounding effect of maternal smoking.ResultsBiomarkers of lipid peroxidation, for example, thiobarbituric acid reactants, were higher and the activity of the antioxidant defense system was lower in drinkers and their infants. Higher rates of pathological conditions and slower postnatal growth were observed among infants who were prenatally exposed to alcohol. Low‐dose alcohol use and tobacco smoking were associated with lower postnatal infant growth trajectories, resulting in restricted growth at 6 and 12 months among infants born to mothers who drank or smoked during pregnancy. Alcohol had a broad effect on the infant and maternal LPO‐AOD system, while the effect of smoking was limited in this study to maternal glutathione peroxidase.ConclusionsSmall amounts of alcohol consumed during pregnancy are associated with dysfunction of the LPO‐AOD system and development of oxidative stress in women and their children. Identification and preventive interventions are needed for pregnant women who use alcohol in any amount.

Social and Economic Effect of Comprehensive Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Children: A Review

“…Many women believe that a glass of "high quality" alcohol (dry red wine) during normal pregnancy into the second trimester "will do no harm to the fetus or can even be healthy". Most obstetricians/gynecologists, pediatricians and other doctors, who are not directly involved in treatment of alcohol addiction, do not have any relevant experience in discussing alcohol consumption with women or screening women, who are at risk of having FAS/FASD children [33,34,40,9,10,37].…”

“…In medical literature, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in children was first mentioned more than 45 years ago [5]. According to studies, prenatal alcohol exposure does irreparable harm to the human body, causing inborn lifelong mental and physical disorders [7][8][9][10][11][12]. FAS has three diagnostic criteria: clearly defined facial dysmorphology, prenatal and postnatal growth deficiencies, and cerebrospinal dysfunction [8,[13][14][15].…”

“…According to contemporary researchers, FAS and FASD children suffer growth and weight deficit and have specific facial features -facial abnormalities [16,13], also, they can have hearing and vision problems [17,18,9,10,3,4]. They tend to be far behind and slow in developing self-care skills compared to other children ; also, they have poor memory and attention, hyper-or hypoactive, have serious learning difficulties, lack emotional and behavioral self-control and often have poor understanding of the consequences of their actions [19,16,13].…”

Metabolic Changes in Newborns and Women Who Consumed Small Doses of Alcohol in the Prenatal Period

“…It is noted that ethyl alcohol and its metabolites even in low concentrations negatively affect the embryo and the fetus [13]. Provided the direct chemical ethanol influence on the fetus, fetal alcohol syndrome may occur [14,15].…”

“…Provided the direct chemical ethanol influence on the fetus, fetal alcohol syndrome may occur [14,15]. At the same time, the initial state of a mother's metabolic systems is often more simply considered as an indifferent background against which various abnormalities are formed and which a priori changes little with the alcohol small amount consumption [1,13,11]. At the same time, based on the concept of the active role of the mother's metabolism in the development of the fetus, it can be assumed that even alcohol small amount consumption by a woman during pregnancy will leave a permanent changesin the nonspecific biochemical processes, which through the placental blood flow can express an altering effect on the key structures of the future child baby [16,17].…”