Can alcohol consumption by men impact the fetus?

The researcher suggests that parents’ habits also affect children’s health

Men consume more alcohol and are more prone to episodes of alcohol abuse. However, when diagnosing children born with defects associated with alcohol consumption, such as fetal alcohol syndrome, only the mother’s drinking habits are taken into account.

Researcher Michael Golding, a professor at Texas A&M University in the United States, suggests that alcohol consumption by men can also affect the health of children. In a recent article on The conversationreports on some studies conducted by him and his team in this area, as well as others that may help shape a new view on the topic.

According to him, sperm carries a huge amount of epigenetic information, that is, changes in the way genes are expressed that influence fetal development. Despite this, most healthcare professionals usually do not take the paternal lifestyle into account when analyzing the child’s development.

Fetal alcohol syndrome

Since the 1980s, doctors have warned that alcohol consumption by women during pregnancy can cause physical defects and mental problems in children. Today, an estimated 1 in 20 school-age children in the United States may have some form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, a term that refers to a wide range of alcohol-related physical, developmental and behavioral disabilities.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most serious of these and is associated with three major birth defects: facial anomalies, including small eyes and malformations in the central part of the face; reduced growth of the head and brain; and fetal growth restriction, a condition that occurs when babies are born smaller than average.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, this syndrome can occur when alcohol in the mother’s blood passes to the baby through the umbilical cord. For this reason the medical community has only taken into consideration the role of the mother in this condition.

However, Golding says there are numerous documented cases of children diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome in which mothers deny consuming alcohol during pregnancy. In these circumstances the accepted assumption is that these mothers are lying.

According to the CDC, there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant. Despite this recommendation, alcohol consumption during pregnancy is widely reported. Reported levels of consumption are not always directly related to the development of birth defects. Additionally, not all women who drink give birth to babies with fetal alcohol syndrome.

Although differences in how much and when pregnant women drink may help vary how fetal alcohol syndrome develops, these factors alone cannot explain the wide range and severity of symptoms. Therefore, the researcher believes that unknown factors, in addition to the mother’s alcohol consumption, must contribute to this debilitating disorder.

Study with mice

Alcohol is a social drug, so it is common for many women to drink it together with their partner. From this perspective, Golding and her team assessed the impacts of alcohol on males and females to simulate what happens to offspring.

In a study published earlier this year, they suggest that chronic exposure to alcohol by males affects the formation of the brain, skull and face of offspring. They also noted microcephaly (underdevelopment of the head and brain) and a lower birth weight, which worsened the more the father drank.

In addition to their research, other studies have identified behavioral changes in the offspring of male mice who regularly consume alcohol. Additionally, clinical studies suggest that paternal alcohol consumption increases the risk of heart defects in humans.

Effects on fertility

Golding’s studies also highlight more immediate impacts of alcohol consumption on male fertility and couples’ ability to have a healthy pregnancy.

The results showed that the more a man drinks before donating sperm, the less likely his partner is to become pregnant, in some cases almost 50%.

In the United States, it is estimated that the cumulative costs of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders to the healthcare and education systems could reach $10 billion per year. Therefore, the researcher believes that ignoring paternal alcohol consumption habits on children’s health means overlooking a factor that could be significant.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.