News and articles
The Seattle Times (Denmark) - Danish study doesn't change the answer: Don't drink while pregnant
A Danish study suggests a few drinks per week during pregnancy has no effect on children's intelligence or activity levels. Two University of Washington professors looked at the study and conclude what most research shows; It is not safe to drink during pregnancy.
CBC.ca (Canada) - Foster parent says more FASD supports needed
A foster mother in Thunder Bay says the community desperately needs more services for people suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Calgary Herald (Canada) - 365 babies born with FASD in Alberta each year
For every day of the year, there's an Alberta baby born brain-damaged because his or her mother drank while pregnant.
Herald Review (Denmark) - Danish study gives women mixed message
The Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS) is concerned that the recent research study from Denmark gives women a mixed a message.
Ninemsn (Australia) - Graphic warnings could fight alcohol abuse
"Demon drink" is the new health battle-ground, with higher taxes, drinking ages and graphic warnings similar to those on tobacco products touted as ways to fight alcohol-related birth defects and other issues.
ABC Online (Australia) - More education urged on pregnancy drinking risks
The chairman of a committee investigating foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) says too many people are unaware of the risks and consequences associated with drinking alcohol while pregnant.
Marketwire (Canada) - Government of Canada Announces Funding for Development of A Substance Abuse Program for Young Offenders in British Columbia
Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Member of Parliament for Delta-Richmond East and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice on behalf of the Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M. P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced funding to the McCreary Centre Society for the development of effective substance abuse treatment program for young offenders with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and associated cognitive impairments in British Columbia.
Courier Mail (Australia) - Alcohol's damage to fetus won't go away
LAST week my little boy brought a sheet home from school titled, "No Excuse Spelling Words - Year Two". Here were 36 words that children, who had spent the past 21/2 years in school, should be able to spell.
McClatchy Washington Bureau (USA) – Should fetal alcohol syndrome spare death row inmates?
A mother's failures are etched on Mark Anthony Soliz's face. It's the damaged face of a child whose mother drank heavily, sniffed paint and used drugs while pregnant, the face of a youth who was largely abandoned.
TopNews Arab Emirates - Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Haunts Children’s Development
There is no doubt that women during pregnancy must avoid drinking alcohol, a recent report showed what kind of affects it can have on such kids.
Science Daily - Pregnant Women Should Avoid Alcohol During Pregnancy, Experts Say
Experts at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine disagree with a series of new studies from Denmark that suggest consumption of up to 8 alcoholic drinks a week or occasional binge drinking during pregnancy is generally safe for the developing baby.
NHS.uk - Daily drinking in pregnancy 'not safe'
“Pregnant women can binge drink safely,” according to a report in today’s Metro. Expectant mothers should be able to “down up to 12 alcoholic beverages a week knowing it will have no ill effect on their offspring before the age of five”, the paper continued.
MATERIALS
University of Washington - Response to Danish Study
A new Danish study on alcohol and pregnancy reports that drinking up to 8 alcoholic drinks per week during pregnancy has no effect on children’s intelligence or activity levels. But this goes against everything we have heard about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy.
Youtube - Alcohol.Think Again: No alcohol during pregnancy is the safest choice
RESEARCH
MJA - Aboriginal women, alcohol and the road to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
As I have reported earlier,1 I believe that the historical and political background and the cultural aspects of drinking have been insufficiently considered. There is an entrenched expectation of Aboriginal community members that to drink is an expression of identity and culture.
Alcohol - Effects of exposure to moderate levels of ethanol during prenatal brain development on dendritic length, branching, and spine density in the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum of adult rats
These findings suggest that exposure to moderate levels of ethanol in utero can have profound effects on brain regions related to reward processing and provide possible clues relevant to understanding increased self-administration of drugs of abuse in animals exposed to ethanol during brain development.
APS - Vascular Effects of Maternal Alcohol Consumption
Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a significant field of scientific exploration primarily because of its negative effects on the developing fetus which is specifically defined as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
Froentiers - Role of non-coding RNAs in the neuroadaptation to alcoholism and fetal alcohol exposure
The control of gene expression is a fundamental process in all of biology. Understanding the mechanisms by which genes are turned off and on in a temporally and spatially mediated fashion, represents an area where major scientific advances are likely to occur in the next decade.
IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Kreisbote (Germany) - Fetale Alkoholspektrumsstörung FASD bei Kindern - Vortrag bei den Gesundheitstagen in Fürstenfeld
„Ca. 10.000 Kinder werden in Deutschland mit FASD geboren, das sind etwa 1,5% der Geburten“, erzählt Veerle Moubax. „Nur die wenigsten werden später ein selbständiges, erfülltes Leben führen können“.
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