Drinking During Conception Increases Diabetes Risk In Offspring

Researchers at the University of Queensland have discovered that women who drink alcohol during the time of conception may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity for future offspring, particularly when they enter early middle age.

"Before the egg implants, before any organs start to develop, alcohol consumption somehow causes changes to the embryo," researcher Dr. Karen Moritz said in a statement. "Anything that affects fetal development can cause long term programming, which means offspring can be born with increased risk and susceptibility to disease later in life.

For the study, researchers used rats to examine the equivalent of five standard drinks consumed around the time of conception and how it altered the development of the fetus.

"Monitoring the offspring of the laboratory rat model, we found the risk of becoming obese and developing type 2 diabetes in early middle age dramatically increased," Moritz added. "The usual risk factors of these two diseases are attributed to poor diet and lack of exercise, but our research showed exposure to alcohol around conception presents a risk similar to following a high-fat diet for a major proportion of life."

Moritz added that how the findings were particularly important as 50 percent of pregnancies in Australia were unplanned.

"Although most women stop drinking once they discover they are pregnant, a significant proportion are consuming alcohol at the time of conception, before they even know," she said. "Our future research will be focusing on the possibility of administering preventative interventions."

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