Women who drink should be aware that drinking can change the appearance of their unborn child. A study found that drinking alcohol before and throughout pregnancy might change the facial appearance of the unborn kid.
Alcohol consumption may affect the fetus’s facial appearance
Researchers employed AI to analyze 3D images of kids’ appearance when they were 9-13. The data about the mothers’ alcohol consumption was gathered years before in surveys throughout the first, second and third trimesters.
According to the Daily Mail, researchers at Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam discovered a link between drinking alcohol three months before conception and the facial features of the fetuses.
The study found that mothers who drank even one tiny glass of wine a week before becoming pregnant were likelier to have kids with turned-up nose tips, shorter noses, or turned-out chins. In addition, the babies’ look changed as the moms drank more.
In a press release, PhD student and first study author Xianjing Liu, who was a member of the team that created the AI system, stated that the relationship between prenatal exposure to alcohol and a kid’s face shape could be seen in the set of mothers who consumed less than a week during their pregnancies. The study, according to Liu, is the initial to demonstrate a connection between little alcohol intake and children’s facial traits.
Alcohol consumption can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
The study’s principal investigator, Professor Gennady Roshchupkin, stated that it is valuable since a child’s face serves as a “health mirror” of their general health. If a mother habitually consumes a substantial quantity of alcohol, it can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), which is visible on the kids’ faces. Alcohol exposure before delivery can have negative impacts on children’s health development.
There isn’t a known safe amount of alcohol intake during pregnancy, according to Roshchupkin. However, he advises women who are contemplating becoming pregnant to cut out alcohol even before conception to maintain the best possible health for both the mother and the growing fetus.
