During gravidity, even small amounts of alcohol, for example, during casual or social drinking, are sufficient to damage the embryo‘s physical and mental development. The risk for the child increases with increasing duration and severity of alcoholism. If the pregnant mother is in the chronic phase of alcoholism, more than 40% of the offspring are usually severely damaged. Alcohol is detectable in breast milk and alters the taste and smell of the milk as well as the behavior of the infants. When ethyl alcohol is metabolized in the liver of the pregnant mother, acetaldehyde is formed as an intermediate product, which together with the alcohol passes through the placenta into the bloodstream of the unborn child and damages its body cells. Optimal cell development and proliferation is prevented, so that the tissue is formed in a deficient or defective manner. If women drink alcohol regularly, especially during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, the harmful degradation substances of the alcohol accumulate in the fetal organism, since the fetal organs are only being formed during this period and the liver is not yet able to completely break down the alcohol. The fetal organism lacks the alcohol-degrading enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which exposes the fetus to high alcohol concentrations over a long period of time. In addition to the development of the liver, alcohol also impairs the development of the other organs.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Alcohol breakdown products further cause a whole range of damage to the child, which is grouped under the umbrella term “fetal alcohol syndrome” (FAS). The syndrome is associated with more than 180 clinical pictures. It is estimated that 2,000 children are born with fetal alcohol syndrome in Germany each year. Children of alcoholic mothers with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome exhibit the following malformations as well as developmental abnormalities:
Impairments in physical development
- Promotion of malformations, especially in the area of the kidneys, the urinary tract and blood vessels close to the heart.
- Growth inhibition
- Limb and skeletal malformations
- Short stature, low weight, little subcutaneous fat.
- Microcephaly – small head circumference
- Limb defects, joint anomalies
- Abnormalities in the facial area/change in facial shape – even mild alcohol consumption in early pregnancy may be enough to cause this
- Wrinkle at the inner edge of the eye, small eye openings, short palpebral fissure, shortened bridge of the nose, narrow red lip, cleft palate, smeary/flat philtrum (vertical depression between the upper lip and nose), receding chin, small teeth
- Even less than 20 g of alcohol on an occasion and a total of less than 70 g of alcohol in a week can lead to changes in facial shape such as slight flattening of the midface with a shortened nose and lifting of the tip of the nose.
- Abnormalities of arms and legs – shortening and bending of the little finger, conspicuous hand lines, adhesion of ulna and radius.
- Spinal deformity, hip dislocation, coccyx dimple, inguinal hernia, funnel chest, keel chest.
- Malformations of internal organs – heart defects – mostly septal defects -, abnormalities of the genital and urinary tract.
Impairments of mental development
- Central nervous system disorders
- Brain dysfunction
- Limited acquisition of intellectual skills
- Mental retardation
- Learning difficulties
- Perceptual disorders
- Addictiveness
Impairment of motor and static skills and fine motor skills.
- Walking, grasping as well as dexterity requiring activities may be more difficult
- Disturbed fine motor skills, coordination disorders.
- Communication disorders (speech comprehension, linguistic expression).
- Blindness, visual impairments
- Hearing disorders (e.g. hearing loss)
- Drinking, eating disorders
- Muscle weakness, lack of reflexes, uncoordinated movements, seizure disorders.
Impairments of mental and emotional development.
- Lack of balance
- Mood swings
- Emotional instability
Impairments in the development of social behavior
- Problems adapting to new situations and environments.
- Behavioral disorders – clumsiness, problems in dealing with people.
- Social maturation disorders
- Attention deficits, hyperactivity, overexcitability, easy distractibility.
Hyperactivity and impaired intellectual abilities are also found in many cases in children of male alcoholics as a result of alcohol-induced damaging changes in sperm. Mild damage in the child is grouped under the term “fetal alcohol spectrum disorder” (FASD). This is associated with more than 420 clinical pictures. According to estimates, about 10,000 children are affected in Germany. Early diagnosis and adequate support of affected children based on the S3 guideline “Early diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)” can positively influence the prognosis.
Micronutrient Deficiency
In addition to the health damage caused by alcohol, the development of the unborn child is also significantly disturbed by the mother’s alcohol-related vital nutrient deficiencies. If the absorption of essential vital substances is inhibited due to alcohol or if the pregnant woman takes in too few nutrients and vital substances – such as vitamins A, E, D and vitamins of the B complex, magnesium, iron, zinc as well as calcium – with her food, the requirements of the mother and thus also of the unborn child are drastically increased. Other reasons for the increased intake of vital substances during pregnancy are the additional needs of the fetus, the placenta and the increased blood volume of the mother.
Magnesium
Due to the increased filtration rate of the kidney within pregnancy, as well as the alcohol-induced impaired absorption, transport, and excretion capacity, increased magnesium losses occur via the mother’s kidneys. The fetus is therefore deficient in magnesium, increasing the risk of premature birth and stillbirth.
Iron
Iron is also a critical vital nutrient during pregnancy. Deficiencies cause changes in the mother’s blood count in 75% of cases. If the pregnant woman also has marked anemia (anemia) with lowered hemoglobin (blood pigment) levels – below 6 g/ dl – in the first half of pregnancy, the risk of spontaneous placental abruption, premature birth, low birth weight, and infant mortality increases.
Folic acid
The daily notwenidge folic acid intake increases by 100% in pregnant women due to increased folic acid transport across the placenta to the fetus, which has a particularly high requirement for this vitamin. In the serum of a child, folic acid concentrations 6-8 times higher than in the mother could be detected. If a pregnant woman is deficient in folic acid, this can lead to pregnancy and birth complications as well as low birth weight. Malformations such as neural tube defects – anencephaly, spina bifida – also frequently occur in the newborn when folic acid is deficient. Neural tube defects are malformations in the baby’s nervous system due to chromosomal damage. In anencephaly, the skull and brain of the fetus do not form properly, resulting in disorders in the development of the brain and central nervous system. Affected babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth because much of the brain is missing. If the neural tube defect is in the spinal cord area, the condition is spina bifida – open spine….
Iodine
In addition to the fact that one in four women enters pregnancy with an iodine deficiency, alcohol consumption increases the body’s need for this trace element. Iodine deficiency in the mother causes enlargement of the thyroid gland in the child. In addition, the child’s organism is insufficiently supplied with thyroid hormones because the function of the thyroid gland is disturbed as a result of the iodine deficiency. In the further course, the child’s development is severely impaired, leading to growth disorders. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy – vital substance deficiency.
| Vital substance deficiency | Effects on the fetus |
| Vitamin A | Increased risk for
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| Vitamin E | Increased risk for
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| Vitamin D |
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| Vitamins of the B complex |
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| Magnesium |
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| Iron | Increased risk for
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| Zinc | Increased risk for
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| Calcium |
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| Folic acid | Increased risk of
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| Iodine |
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For more information on “alcohol consumption”, see “stimulants” in the “micronutrient medicine” super-topic.
