Effects of alcohol intake during pregnancy on docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid in umbilical cord vessels of black women.

Objective: Alcohol influences the intake and metabolism of several nutrients including long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs). The LC-PUFAs docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) are particularly crucial for intrauterine growth and brain development. We hypothesized that alcohol consumption adversely affects LC-PUFA levels in pregnant women and their newborn infants.

Alcohol consumption in pregnant, black women is associated with decreased plasma and erythrocyte docosahexaenoic acid.

Background: Inner-city, black women are among those groups that are at higher risk for having infants with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders that can include life-long neurobehavioral and cognitive impairments. Chronic alcohol consumption can decrease amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a fatty acid that is essential for optimal infant neural and retinal development in a variety of tissues.

Methods: Black women who presented at an inner-city antenatal clinic for their first prenatal visit were recruited into a longitudinal, observational study.

Comparison of bloodstream fatty acid composition from African-American women at gestation, delivery, and postpartum.

Our aim was to examine the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3) status of pregnant African-American women reporting to the antenatal clinic at Wayne State University in a longitudinal study design. Fatty acid compositions of plasma and erythrocyte total lipid extracts were determined and food frequency surveys were administered at 24 weeks of gestation, delivery, and 3 months postpartum for participants (n = 157). DHA (mean +/- SD) in the estimated total circulating plasma was similar at gestation (384 +/- 162 mg) and delivery (372 +/- 155 mg) but was significantly lower at 3 months postpartum (178 +/- 81 mg).

Alcohol dehydrogenase 2*3 affects alterations in offspring facial morphology associated with maternal ethanol intake in pregnancy.

Background: Ethanol intake during pregnancy alters offspring facial morphology. However, significant variation that may be due to genetic diversity in ethanol metabolizing enzymes occurs. The alcohol dehydrogenase 1B*3 (ADH1B*3) allele is protective for offspring developmental outcome after maternal alcohol drinking in pregnancy and may explain the spectrum of facial morphology.

Prenatal alcohol exposure and childhood behavior at age 6 to 7 years: I. dose-response effect.

Objective: Moderate to heavy levels of prenatal alcohol exposure have been associated with alterations in child behavior, but limited data are available on adverse effects after low levels of exposure. The objective of this study was to evaluate the dose-response effect of prenatal alcohol exposure for adverse child behavior outcomes at 6 to 7 years of age.

Methods: Beginning in 1986, women attending the urban university-based maternity clinic were routinely screened at their first prenatal visit for alcohol and drug use by trained research assistants from the Fetal Alcohol Research Center.