Katharina Buczek
“Among the group of mothers who drank throughout pregnancy, we found that even if mothers drank very little during pregnancy, less than 12 g a week, the association between alcohol exposure and children’s facial shape could be observed,” added Xianjing Liu, the study’s first author, and developer of the AI algorithm.
“This is the first time an association has been shown at such low levels of alcohol consumption.”
As children aged, the link between face shape and alcohol consumption did weaken. So, among the 13-year-old children, the researchers found no significant association.
According to Roshchupkin, it is possible that the facial changes are either obscured by normal growth patterns or diminish as children age and experience other environmental factors. However, this does not mean that the health effects of prenatal alcohol consumption will disappear.
“Therefore, it is crucial to emphasize that there is no established safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and that it is advisable to cease drinking alcohol even before conception to ensure optimal health outcomes for both the mother and developing fetus,” he said.
“Further investigations on the mechanism of association are needed to fully understand how the association develops and then weakens with age.”
It is also crucial to note that this study included a large number of children from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Oxford Academic, visit the link here.
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