A new study warns women who drink alcohol during pregnancy could increase their babies' risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the University of Queensland conducted the research.
Researchers investigated how alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy could impact the health of offspring in the long run. For the study, the team used a laboratory rat model. They discovered drinking five standard drinks could drastically make changes in the development of the fetus.
"Before the egg implants, before any organs start to develop, alcohol consumption somehow causes changes to the embryo," Associate Professor Karen Moritz and lead author of the study told a news portal. Adding, "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."
The team also found when the baby might develop diabetes or become prone to obesity. "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,"Moritz told a news portal. Adding, "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."
In light of the findings, researchers hope to develop preventative interventions.Moritz explained: "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.
"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.
Another study found high levels of alcohol can also make changes to the DNA of the fetus. "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,"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, told a news portal.
A University of California study also found drinking while pregnant affects future generations. "We found that body weight and brain size were significantly reduced in all generations of PrEE animals when compared to controls; all generations of PrEE mice showed increased anxiety-like, depressive-like behaviours and sensory-motor deficits," Lead author Kelly Huffman from the University of California told a news portal.
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