Drinking while pregnant ‘can have multigenerational health effects’

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in health issues that may be passed on for many generations, a new study has shown.

The University of California research built on previous studies that have indicated that drinking during pregnancy can lead to foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in newborns, affecting the part of the brain responsible for complex behaviour and cognition, and leading to abnormal motor behaviour and increased anxiety.

This new research studied a mouse model of FASD and tested many aspects of brain and behavioural development across three generations, finding that these neurodevelopmental problems extended beyond the generation that was directly exposed.

Body weight and brain size were significantly reduced in all generations of animals with prenatal ethanol exposure, resulting in increased anxiety-like, depressive behaviours and sensory-motor deficits.

Kelly Huffman, psychology professor at the University of California, said: "We now have evidence that the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure could persist transgenerationally and negatively impact the next generations of offspring, who were never exposed to alcohol."

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