Women who drink alcohol in the early stages of their pregnancy, whether moderate or heavy, can damage the growth and function of the placenta, the organ responsible for providing everything a developing baby needs until the day of its birth. birth. This is the conclusion of the latest study from the University of Manchester and published in the journal PloS One .
Researchers studied the effects of alcohol with both moderate and heavy drinking in women in their first weeks of pregnancy and found that both had reduced growth of placental cells . There was no change in the placenta of the women who consumed alcohol in very low doses.
The fact that a regular consumption of alcohol has specific effects on the placenta suggests that, in the long run, it could have consequences for the child, regarding the support that the baby receives from the placenta during the rest of the pregnancy, even if it is no longer consumed. alcohol One of those contributions that are reduced by alcohol is an important amino acid known as taurine. The reduction of this amino acid has been shown to have negative effects on the behavior and physical development of the child.
Therefore, the researchers advise that if a woman is trying to conceive she should completely eliminate alcohol (not to mention tobacco) from her intake during this period; since it may be that the damage caused by alcohol occurs before the woman even knows that she is pregnant and this lack of prevention therefore has a great impact on the development of the baby.
