scholarly journals Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and offspring epigenome-wide DNA methylation: findings from six general population-based birth cohorts

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma C Sharp ◽  
Ryan Arathimos ◽  
Sarah E Reese ◽  
Christian M Page ◽  
Janine Felix ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
General Population ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Maternal Alcohol ◽  
Maternal Alcohol Consumption

AbstractSome evidence suggests that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes in the offspring, but the precise biological mechanisms underlying such associations are currently unknown. Epigenetic modifications have been suggested as one potential explanation.Within the Pregnancy and Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) consortium, we performed meta-analysis to combine information from six population-based birth cohort studies to investigate DNA methylation at over 450,000 sites in the cord blood of newborns differentially exposed to alcohol in utero. We were primarily interested in the effects of sustained consumption throughout pregnancy (data available for five cohorts, 3,075 mother-child pairs), which represents a prolonged prenatal exposure to alcohol, but we also explored binge-drinking and timing-specific exposures. In addition to looking for differential methylation at individual CpG sites, we also used two different methods, Comb-P and DMRcate, to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs).We found no strong evidence of association between any of our alcohol exposure measures and DNA methylation at any individual CpG site. Using Comb-P, we identified 19 DMRs in the offspring of mothers who drank throughout pregnancy compared to the offspring of mothers who gave up drinking at the start of pregnancy, but these were not validated using DMRcate.In this multi-cohort study of the general population we found no evidence that maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is associated with offspring cord blood DNA methylation, which is in stark contrast to the multiple, strong associations that previous studies have found for maternal smoking. However, it is possible that a combination of a larger sample size, higher doses, different timings of exposure and a more global assessment of genomic DNA methylation might show evidence of association.

scholarly journals Maternal alcohol consumption and offspring DNA methylation: findings from six general population-based birth cohorts

Epigenomics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gemma C Sharp ◽  
Ryan Arathimos ◽  
Sarah E Reese ◽  
Christian M Page ◽  
Janine Felix ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
General Population ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Maternal Alcohol ◽  
Maternal Alcohol Consumption

scholarly journals Early Maternal Alcohol Consumption Alters Hippocampal DNA Methylation, Gene Expression and Volume in a Mouse Model

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. e0124931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Marjonen ◽  
Alejandra Sierra ◽  
Anna Nyman ◽  
Vladimir Rogojin ◽  
Olli Gröhn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Maternal Alcohol ◽  
Maternal Alcohol Consumption

scholarly journals Maternal alcohol consumption may influence cord blood ascorbic acid concentration: findings from a study of Brazilian mothers and their newborns

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 895-898 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andréia Madruga de Oliveira ◽  
Patrícia H. C. Rondó ◽  
Julicristie M. Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Vitamin C ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
Maternal Blood ◽  
Maternal Alcohol ◽  
Maternal Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Intake Score

Studies that have investigated ascorbic acid (AA) concentrations in cord blood have pointed to significant associations with maternal blood AA concentrations, smoking, age, diet, type of delivery, duration of gestation, fetal distress and birth weight. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between cord blood AA concentrations in newborns and maternal characteristics. A total of 117 Brazilian healthy parturients were included in this cross-sectional study. The concentrations of AA in blood were determined by the HPLC method. Data concerning socio-economic, demographic, obstetric, nutritional and health characteristics of the parturients, including alcohol consumption and smoking habit, were assessed by a standardised questionnaire. A FFQ was used to investigate the intake of foods rich in vitamin C. Cord blood AA concentration was significantly correlated with per capita income (r 0·26; P = 0·005), maternal blood AA concentration (r 0·48; P < 0·001) and maternal vitamin C-rich food intake score (r 0·36; P < 0·001). The linear regression model including maternal AA concentration, alcohol consumption, smoking, parity, vitamin C-rich food intake score and per capita income explained 31·13 % of the variation in cord blood AA concentrations in newborns. We recommend further experimental studies to assess the effects of ethanol on placental AA uptake, and epidemiological cohort studies to evaluate in detail the influence of maternal alcohol consumption on cord blood AA concentrations.

scholarly journals Maternal alcohol consumption in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) – Research opportunities

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. DeRoo
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Child Outcomes ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Maternal Alcohol ◽  
Retrospective Assessment ◽  
Maternal Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Comprehensive Information ◽  
Mother And Child

The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) is a valuable resource for the study of the effects of maternal alcohol consumption. MoBa’s strengths include a population-based sample of over 107,000 pregnancies, concurrent and retrospective assessment of maternal prenatal and postnatal alcohol consumption, and prospective follow-up for pregnancy and child outcomes. Direct questions were asked on the frequency, dose and timing of maternal alcohol consumption. Screening tools including the T-ACE and partial Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index were used to identify women at risk for drinking during pregnancy. Comprehensive information on potential confounders was collected including maternal medical history, reproductive history, smoking, and other substance use. The detailed alcohol data allow the differentiation between non-binge and binge-level drinking, important for studying different thresholds of exposure. The availability of maternal and infant DNA enables the study of genetic differences in alcohol metabolism. Besides conventional analyses, sibship studies of differentially exposed siblings can be conducted among the offspring of over 15,000 women who participated in the study for more than one pregnancy. Although there are low levels of social disadvantage in Norway (poverty increases the risk of harms from prenatal drinking), binge drinking is a common pattern of consumption and previous studies found that drinking alcohol during pregnancy is not uncommon. Here, I provide a brief review of prenatal alcohol literature and measurement issues, describe MoBa alcohol variables, and discuss how MoBa can contribute to maternal alcohol research within the context of Norway.

scholarly journals Prenatal alcohol exposure and facial morphology in a UK cohort

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence J Howe ◽  
Gemma C Sharp ◽  
Gibran Hemani ◽  
Luisa Zuccolo ◽  
Stephen Richmond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Facial Morphology ◽  
Normal Range ◽  
Maternal Alcohol ◽  
Maternal Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Maternal Genotype ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol

AbstractHigh levels of prenatal alcohol exposure are known to cause an array of adverse outcomes including foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS); however, the effects of low to moderate exposure are less-well characterised. Previous findings suggest that differences in normal-range facial morphology may be a marker for alcohol exposure and related adverse effects. Therefore, in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, we tested for an association between maternal alcohol consumption and six FAS-related facial phenotypes in their offspring, using both self-report questionnaires and the maternal genotype at rs1229984 in ADH1B as measures of maternal alcohol consumption. In both self-reported alcohol consumption (N=4,233) and rs1229984 genotype (N=3,139) analyses, we found no strong statistical evidence for an association between maternal alcohol consumption and facial phenotypes tested. The directions of effect estimates were compatible with the known effects of heavy alcohol exposure, but confidence intervals were largely centred around zero. We conclude that, in a sample representative of the general population, there is no strong evidence for an effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on normal-range variation in facial morphology.

Identifying psychosocial determinants related to alcohol consumption during pregnancy: a systematic literature review

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Roozen ◽  
Gjalt - Jorn Ygram Peters ◽  
Gerjo Kok ◽  
Leopold Curfs
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Psychosocial Determinants ◽  
Maternal Alcohol ◽  
Maternal Alcohol Consumption

BackgroundFetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is an important global health problem in need of prevention. For FASD prevention it is important to understand why pregnant women engage or do not engage in drinking alcohol. It remains unknown which psychosocial determinants related to maternal alcohol consumption are most in need of prevention. The objective of this study was to identify these.MethodWe searched in PubMed, PsychINFO, PsychARTICLES, ERIC, CINAHL, EMBASE and MEDLINE databases up to May 2018 using an extensive query consisting of keywords related to pregnancy (e.g., maternal, prenatal), alcohol use (e.g., alcohol, drink) and determinants (e.g., attitude, norm). Studies were excluded when not published in English, were reviews, or involved non-human subjects. Substantial heterogeneity precluded aggregation or meta-analysis of the data. Instead, data were qualitatively inspected.ResultsA total of 23 studies including 150 identified items were eligible for data analysis. Studies covered over 15 psychosocial determinants (e.g., attitude, perceived social norm, risk perception). Studies differed in their operationalizations. As a majority of data was based on univariate analysis, little is known about the relationship with specific drinking behaviors. The majority of studies targeted perceived risk and motivation to comply with each social referents' approval or disapproval. A large proportion of studies focused on disadvantages and risks of maternal alcohol consumption. Results from these studies show that women do not continue to drink because the risks are unknown to them. Cautious interpretation is needed while the observed heterogeneity hindered firm conclusions. Conclusion We aimed to identify all relevant psychosocial determinants of maternal alcohol consumption behavior(s). The state of the literature precludes such conclusions. It remains unknown which determinants are most in need of intervention. It is recommended for future studies to (i) identify all possible psychosocial determinants of drinking during pregnancy using both quantitative and qualitative methods; (ii) include different target groups (e.g., women with unplanned pregnancies, pregnant women, women in childbearing age); (iii) identify key environmental agents; (iv) operationalize their measures based on theoretical models; (v) report specific variables such as the study method and association with behavior.

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