Men who expect to be doing baby-bottle duty in the near future should consider ditching the booze bottle.
That’s because it’s not just prospective mothers who should curtail their drinking. Recent findings by Texas A&M University scientists suggest that a father’s alcohol consumption could also affect his offspring.
The researchers looked at what happened to infant mice when one or both parents were exposed to alcohol before giving birth. They found that male alcohol consumption before conception can lead to developmental abnormalities in their offspring’s brain, face and skull — a condition known as fetal alcohol syndrome.
Until now, research into fetal alcohol syndrome has largely focused on the mother’s drinking habits before conception and birth. Now, the findings bring a father’s drinking into closer focus. In the study, male exposure to alcohol played a larger role in the craniofacial development of offspring than did the mother’s.
More study is needed to establish the two-parent influence on fetal alcohol syndrome in humans. Still, the researchers say their findings are food for thought: Pregnancy outcomes and fetal health may not be just the mother’s responsibility. And a father’s health before conception is potentially as important as the mother’s.
In fact, the findings suggest that both parents are responsible for preventing alcohol-related birth defects. Researchers say that might someday lead to warning labels on alcoholic beverages that are aimed at men and women.
Indeed, prospective dads have much to consider. But before you picture yourself pushing a baby stroller, consider making sure you’re on the wagon.