Babies exposed to alcohol ‘drink more’ when older
Women with alcohol problems risk passing them on to their unborn children if they drink while pregnant, it has been claimed.
Scientists at the State University of New York attributed an increased risk of alcohol abuse to the development of senses attracted to the taste and smell of the substance.
During one study, they found that infantile rats exposed to alcohol (ethanol) in the womb drank significantly more of it in youth but not in adulthood.
Separate research found the same association with smell; infantile rats whose mothers were exposed to ethanol odour sniffed it significantly more than control rats.
"From a clinical perspective, an enhanced preference for ethanol odour may be an important contributor to the risk for an enhanced postnatal avidity for the drug," the scientists concluded, adding that children should be kept away from alcohol, particularly if they were exposed to it in the womb.
Earlier this year the Department of Health advised that women avoid alcohol completely during pregnancy, marking a change to previous guidelines which maintained one or two alcoholic drinks a week would not risk a baby’s health.
The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people with alcohol problems
Leave a Reply