Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Increases Risk of Future Alcohol Abuse
December 14th, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
(Ivanhoe Newswire) â There may be a new explanation for why teens with a family history of drinking may drink more themselves.
Two new studies from the State University of New York Developmental Ethanol Research Center find the fetus of a mother who drinks while sheâs pregnant learns to prefer alcoholâs taste and smell and is more likely to abuse alcohol later in life.
In one study rats exposed to alcohol (ethanol) in the womb drank much more of it in youth but not in adulthood. Researchers say when the developing nervous system senses ethanol in amniotic fluid, it adapts to it without knowing which chemicals will help or hurt the organism and ends up âlikingâ the taste and smell of ethanol. But if the nervous system doesnât have any more experience with ethanol by adulthood, it loses its appeal for it.
The second study shows strong evidence of the role of the olfactory system. Again, researchers exposed the rats to ethanol by giving it to pregnant mothers.
Results show when they were exposed to the smell of ethanol, prenatally exposed young rats sniffed it much more than control rats. But as in the other study, the effects faded by the time the rats reached adulthood â the equivalent of 30 to 40 human years.
Lead author Steven Youngentob, Ph.D, concludes that a biologically instilled preference for alcoholâs taste and smell can make young people much more likely to abuse it, especially with all the social pressures and alcoholâs addicting qualities.
âKeep kids away from alcohol, especially those that had fetal exposure,â Youngentob was quoted as saying. âThe even more basic message is that there is no time during pregnancy when it is safe to drink.â
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SOURCE: Behavioral Neuroscience, 2007;121:1306-1315