Alcohol exposure could be more dangerous than originally thought.
It’s long been know that drinking during pregnancy is bad for baby, but it’s been discovered that it could also affect future generations.
A study in the US has suggested that mums-to-be who drink are putting not only their baby but possibly their grandchildren at risk too, reports Romper.
Researchers found that mice whose parents have been exposed to alcohol showed signs of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, which is similar to the effect of alcohol during pregnancy in humans.
Characteristics of human sufferers of these disorders include abnormal facial features, small head size and low body weight as well as hyperactivity, delayed speech and language development and learning disabilities.
The researchers also found that the next generation of mice, who had no direct exposure to alcohol, were lower in brain size and body weight than other mice and showed “anxiety-like, depressive-like behaviors and sensory-motor deficits.”
Psychology professor Kelly Huffman of University of California, Riverside led the study.
She said that while similar tests can’t be carried out on humans for obvious ethical reasons, mice have very similar brain structures to humans.
This could mean that a woman’s alcohol consumption during pregnancy could have more far-reaching effects than originally thought.
