Feb
29
2020

Celiac Disease in Various Disguises

By | Allergies, Alzheimer’s disease, Autism, autoimmune disease, blood brain barrier, Dementia, depression, diet, food, Inflammation, Nutrition, Pregnancy, schizophrenia

Dr. Tom O’Bryan gave a lecture in Las Vegas on Dec. 13, 2019 about celiac disease in various disguises. This was at the 27th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine. The title of his talk: “An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Protocols: Halting Our Brains Slow Deterioration”.

Case # 1: 44-year old male with an assumed diagnosis of ALS

In the first place a 44-year old male had a history of a right leg weakness that developed over the last 6 months. He had intermittent spasms in his right quadriceps muscle. In addition, over the last few months he noticed a weakness develop in his right arm with difficulties writing. Significantly, his family history revealed that a maternal aunt had celiac disease. Moreover, a sister had Crohn’s disease and his maternal grandmother had multiple sclerosis. Electromyographic studies showed widespread acute denervation. An MRI scan of the spine showed hyperintensity in the corticospinal tracts. A diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) followed as a result based on the MRI scan findings.

Further tests

At the same time blood tests revealed that his anti-endomysial antibodies were elevated.  Duodenal biopsy demonstrated villous atrophy, crypt-hyperplasia and increased intraepithelial lymphocytes consistent with gluten-sensitive enteropathy (celiac disease). An MRI scan of the brain also showed some hyperintense lesion in the left-brain hemisphere.

Gluten free diet instituted

It was clear with these test results that the initial diagnosis was a misdiagnosis. The real diagnosis was celiac disease. 7 months after the onset of his symptoms he started on a gluten free diet. He received no medications. Notably, his right arm function returned to normal after 9 month of the gluten free diet. Although there was some improvement in his right leg function, he still had some muscle wasting and spasticity in his right leg. However, he could now walk without any aid. His hand-writing was back to normal, and he could button his shirts again. Repeat MRI scans followed 2 months and 9 months after the start of the gluten free diet. At two months after initiation of the gluten free diet the brain lesion in the left brain was somewhat larger than before, but at 9 months it was half the original size.

Case #2: Autism in children, youth depression and Alzheimer’s patients

The autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has significantly increased from 1 in 166 in 2004 to 1 in 40 in 2018. In addition, Dr. O’Bryan also mentioned that in 2017 statistics showed that 13.3% among youth aged 12 to 17 in the US suffered major depressive episodes. 1 in every 12 youth suffer from severe behavioral and emotional problems. According to the CDC since 1994 the number of children on psycho-stimulants increased 5-fold. In the same time children under 18 with bipolar disorder have increased 40-fold. There has been a 6-fold increase of prescriptions for antipsychotic medications for children in the same time frame.

Other effects on adolescents

However, I like to point out that there are other powerful factors that can explain increased depression and emotional problems in adolescence. The Canadian Medical Association published an article about social media and smart phones and the effects they have on adolescence.

On the other end of the life cycle 1 in 3 seniors die with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Between 2000 and 2015 death from Alzheimer’s disease has increased by 213%.

Breakdown of the blood brain barrier

According to Dr. O’Bryan autism in children, behavioral and emotional problems in teenagers and dementia from Alzheimer’s disease are all related to the same process, namely a breakdown of the gut barrier, often called leaky gut syndrome. It is important to realize that this leads to a secondary breakdown of the blood brain barrier. The end result is a compromise of the brain, where antibodies attack the brain protein. In young children this causes lower adaptive and cognitive function and behaviors typical for autism. Teenagers are more likely to present with depression or schizophrenia. In older people the breakdown of the blood brain barrier can result in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

25 to 30% of protein in wheat are non-gluten. Antibodies can be directed against gluten, but also against non-gluten protein.

IgG antibodies against gluten cross placenta

In the later stages of pregnancy IgG antibodies cross the placenta easily. They provide passive immunity from various viral infections. Unfortunately, antibodies against gluten also cross through the placenta, which can lead to a breakdown of the fetal gut lining, in the sense of leaky gut syndrome. In this study 211 children were found to have a risk of 1.7-fold to develop psychosis later in life. The mothers were positive for anti-gliadin IgG antibodies in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy. Anti-casein antibodies did not have this psychosis effect (risk only 0.8-fold). The investigators felt that an allergy to wheat in the mother set up general inflammation. Psychosis in the offspring only develops when inflammatory mediators reached the brain of the fetus. It was the brain inflammation, which caused the subsequent psychosis later in the child.

Blood brain barrier and healthy gut barrier

Another key point is that the barrier both in the gut and in the blood brain barrier consists of a single epithelial layer. The cells are held together by zonulin and occludin proteins. Autistic children were exposed already in the uterus to mother’s wheat induced anti-gliadin antibodies. This led to a break-down of the children’s blood brain barrier and the symptoms of the autism spectrum disorder. These children have a lot of brain inflammation and in addition often have impaired gut barrier integrity. It must be remembered that they require a comprehensive program to improve the gut flora, build up the gut barrier integrity and re-establish the blood brain barrier.

Effects of phthalates on young children

A 2014 study measured urinary metabolites of phthalates and related this to the children when they were 7 years old.

The investigators did several cognitive tests and measured the IQ (Wechsler Intelligence Scale). Children of mothers with the highest quartile of phthalates had an IQ, which was on average 7.0 points lower than the control group of the lowest quartile of phthalates. Dr. O’Bryan showed a slide taken from this study.

With this in mind, it points out that a pregnant woman has an intact blood brain barrier, which prevents antibodies from entering. However, the immature brain of the fetus has not developed an efficient blood brain barrier yet. This allows maternal gliadin antibodies from wheat intolerance to enter the fetal brain and cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

PCB’s disrupt the blood brain barrier

In mouse experiments the effects of PCB’s were investigated. By the same token, researchers found that the blood brain barrier was broken down by PCB’s that are known to have carcinogenic and neurotoxic properties on the brain. The researchers injected melanoma cells into the animals and found that the PCB pretreated mice sustained brain metastases. However, the control animals that did not have PCB pre-treatment did not develop brain metastases. They concluded from this that PCB’s are breaking down the blood brain barrier.

Maternal brain antibodies causing autism in children

This publication examined antibodies to two different brain proteins. The researchers found that 86% of the children from mothers with two different fetal brain antibodies were diagnosed with autistic regression. According to this publication there are at least 50 different epitopes of gluten peptides that exert cytotoxic, gut permeating and immunomodulatory activities.

DNA microarray technology can now detect many subtypes of food disorders and gluten sensitivities. The tests for celiac disease have a sensitivity of 97% for IgG and 99% for IgA. With regard to specificity the test is now 98% accurate for IgG and 100% for IgA.

Case #3: 34-year old female vegan patient with depression and mild cognitive decline

A 34-year old woman has followed a Vegan lifestyle for 10 years. She has been working long hours and had a lot of stress. In addition, her thyroid was borderline low with high TPO antibodies. A blood test for vitamin D showed vitamin D deficiency. For the past year her energy level was low and she had developed chronic depression. Her physician did a genetic test that found she carried the gene that converts GABA into glutamate. She thinks that she has small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). A review of her dietary habits revealed that she ate more cooked foods and less raw food. Her memory is slightly off, her speech not as fluid and she has some cognitive decline.

Her blood tests showed anti-immunity to RAGE peptides. To put it another way, RAGE stands for “receptor for advanced glycation end products”. When you eat too much overcooked foods you ingest advanced glycation end products. This can have adverse effects on your body, particularly the brain.

More tests regarding this woman

Another specific test revealed a blood brain barrier disruption with the presence of anti-brain antibodies. A stool sample was obtained. It showed low Akkermansia, low Faecali bacterium, low Bifido longum and low Bifido adolescentis bacteria. A chemical analysis revealed low butyrate, propionate and acetate. The treating physician concluded that she had a gut dysbiosis and a dysfunctional gut barrier. This has also affected her blood brain barrier. The constellation of symptoms and blood tests explain her clinical condition. She has developed autoantibodies that affect her thyroid gland and her brain because of the antibodies against her RAGE peptides. People can develop Alzheimer’s disease given enough time with exposure to these antibodies. The leaky gut has led to a break-down of her blood brain barrier and exposed her brain to autoimmune antibodies directed against brain cells.

Treatment of gut dysbiosis

This patient started a gluten free diet (GFD). But one of the problems of the GFD is that wheat is removed that normally provides 69% inulin and 71% oligofructose, both important prebiotics that are necessary for probiotics to work with. Inulin is contained in beets, leeks, asparagus, onions, garlic and bananas. Oligofructose is contained in chicory root, bananas, onion, and garlic.

When people consume a typical Western diet, they get between 1 and 4 grams of inulin daily. But others who eat balanced diets get up to 25 to 100 grams of inulin per day. Dr. O’Bryan explained that going on a GFD leads to an altered microbiome.

Experiment with volunteers to measure the effects of a gluten free diet

He discussed an experiment on 10 healthy volunteers who were fed a GFD for 1 month.

The researchers ordere stool samples in the beginning and at the end of the experiment. There was less of the good bacteria and more of the the bad bacteria. This led to a less protective and more inflammatory environment. The remedy for that is to eat 1 root vegetable and 2 other prebiotics per day. The patient on a GFD must supplement with prebiotic-rich foods to prevent this from happening.

Non-digestible oligosaccharide supplement

Inulin and oligosaccharides support the intestinal microbiota.  Dr. O’Brien suggested to add a supplement, called Precision Prebiotic™, non-digestible oligosaccharides that can increase microbial diversity. This supplement supports the growth of the healthy bacteria. These are keystone bacteria like Akkermansia muciniphila, Faecal bacterium prausnitzii, and Bifidobacteria.

Other supportive measures for the gut

  • 1 tablespoon of fermented vegetables like sauerkraut once per day
  • The ingestion of fermented foods increases the beneficial gut bacteria by a factor of 10,000-fold!
  • A 100% spore-based probiotic supplement increases diversity of the gut flora and helps to maintain the gut barrier
  • Sodium butyrate, which comes from fermented food is an important modulator of the central nervous system
  • In addition, sodium butyrate also inhibits pathological gut bacteria and maintains the gastrointestinal balance
  • In neurodegenerative disorders sodium butyrate provides anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects
  • Sodium butyrate restores the blood brain barrier
  • Following heart attacks or strokes sodium butyrate promotes tissue repair and recovery through cell survival
Celiac Disease in Various Disguises

Celiac Disease in Various Disguises

Conclusion

Dr. Tom O’Bryan delivered a lecture at the 27th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine in Las Vegas on Dec.13, 2019. Wheat allergies have increased in the last decades. Researchers have found that in many people there is a deterioration of the gut flora and a breakdown of the gut barrier. This leads to antibody formation against gluten or gliadin (wheat proteins). This exposes the body to many proteins from the gut. The body reacts by producing antibodies to them. These are also affecting cells in the body as they cross react with body proteins. The inflammation from the autoantibodies cause the blood brain barrier to break down. Now the immune system can produce antibodies against brain tissue. In the past  with an intact blood brain barrier this was not possible.

Autoantibodies in various life epochs

At a young age autism can develop because of antibodies against gliadin from wheat. In our youth schizophrenia and depression can occur from gut dysbiosis and a subsequent break down of our blood brain barrier. In old age Alzheimer’s disease develops in 1 out of 3 people due to gut dysbiosis and a breakdown of the blood brain barrier with anti-brain antibodies. Dr. O’Bryan explained how a person can turn this negative spiral around and start a new life without these problems. You can avoid a lot of these diseases by eliminating wheat and processed food from your diet.

May
11
2019

Male Fertility Could Be Improved Naturally

By | alcohol, diet, exercise, Fitness, food, Infertility, lifestyle, Men's Health, Nutrition, Obesity, omega-3 fatty acids, Pregnancy

A review article of CNN reviewed how male fertility could be improved naturally. Studies have shown that males contribute about 40 to 50% of the responsibility of any fertility problem of the couple. This means that a couple with infertility issues will benefit from interventions that include the male partner. Dr. Natan Bar-Chama is the director of the Center of Male Reproductive Health in New York. He is a board-certified urologist and male infertility specialist. Dr. Bar-Chama has done research into what affects male fertility. He found that there are several factors that are important for male fertility.

Lifestyle factors

The big factors that interfere with fertility are obesity, caffeine and alcohol intake, smoking, marijuana intake, lack of exercise and wearing too tight underwear resulting in increased scrotal temperature.

Obesity

Overconsumption of refined carbs like sugar and processed foods leads to obesity. The best for him is to change his diet to a Mediterranean diet. This supports weight loss and at the same time improves sperm quality.

Obese men tend to father children that often are not viable. It may be that it is due to genetic changes in the sperm in obese men. These changes can affect fertilization, but also embryo development. Researchers have detected sperm DNA fragmentation in sperm from obese men, which can lead to pregnancy loss. Weight loss in obese men improves sperm quality.

Caffeine and alcohol intake

More than 1 or 2 cups of coffee a day relates directly to difficulties for a couple to conceive. When it comes to alcohol intake, the male should not drink more than one glass of wine or the equivalent of alcohol in beer or spirits per day. Higher consumption results in male infertility due to poor sperm quality. Physicians have warned women for a long time that they should stop drinking alcoholic beverages, if they want to become pregnant. It is best, if both partners don’t drink for the sake of a healthy pregnancy.

Smoking

Stop tobacco and drug use. Smoking and drug abuse have been consistently shown to be bad for sperm quality and are associated with infertility. Marijuana use leads to low sperm counts, which is a cause of infertility.

Lack of exercise

Moderate aerobic exercise and resistance exercise can improve sperm quality.

However, excessive exercise has shown negative effects on sperm. Bicycling for 5 hours or more has been shown to reduce sperm quality due to the heating up of the scrotum and the testicular tissue. For the same reason men wearing boxer shorts instead of tight underpants were observed to have higher sperm concentration and sperm counts.

Antioxidants

Oxidative stress can damage sperm. This involves smoking, a junk food diet, obesity, pollution, radiation and heavy metals like mercury from big game fish (like tuna, shark, sable fish, sword fish etc.). Dr. Bar-Chama said: ”When you cause damage to cell membranes, you are impacting the ability of the sperm to attach, penetrate and activate the complex fertilization process”. In order to counter these negative effects of the environment it is helpful to take antioxidants.

Some of the common antioxidants are: vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, selenium, zinc, folic acid, lycopene and coenzyme Q-10. If you get 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, you get most of the antioxidant vitamins and minerals. You find selenium in Brazil nuts, sardines and halibut. Oysters, dark-meat poultry, crab, and fortified cereals contain zinc, which supports male fertility.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish and seafood has been shown to increase the success rate of couples who want to get pregnant. Low mercury seafood like scallops, clams, shrimp, oyster, sardines, salmon and squid are a good source of omega-3 fatty acid.

Get some nuts

A handful of nuts or two also helps the male to produce more healthy sperm. This study showed that nut consumption improved the total sperm count. In addition, it increased vitality, motility, and morphology of the sperm.

Cut out processed meats

Another study showed that consumption of processed meat had a negative association with fertility rates in couples that desired children. However, eating chicken instead of processed meat gave the fertility rates a boost.

 

Male Fertility Could Be Improved Naturally

Male Fertility Could Be Improved Naturally

Conclusion

We have been lulled into thinking that when there are fertility problems in a marriage, it would likely be due to female reproductive problems. This kind of thinking is old school and has been disqualified by newer research. It turns out that often the problem originates from the man, if he is unwilling to change his lifestyle to get ready to father a child. As outlined above there are quite a few factors that interfere with sperm production and motility of the sperm. If he wants to father a child, he needs to take good care of his sperm by adopting healthy lifestyles. Sperm, it turns out are much more vulnerable to toxic changes, heat from tight clothing, and nutritional deficiencies.

Healthy food for the man results in a healthy child

Not everything is exclusively the responsibility of the female. The male also needs to eat balanced meals and might also benefit from some antioxidants and supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids from nuts and seafood are also good for sperm production and motility. Add some moderate physical exercise, and he will be ready to father a child. It is very much a team effort, as both parents- to- be have to do their part and embrace a healthy lifestyle.

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Oct
07
2017

How Much Drinking During Pregnancy Is Safe?

By | alcohol, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, Pregnancy, Prevention

A recent review of the literature asked: how much drinking during pregnancy is safe? To the surprise of the researchers there was no clear answer in the medical literature between 1950 and July 2016. The researchers wanted to know whether 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks in a week would show a negative effect. Or would it affect the fetus and cause fetal alcohol syndrome?

What is fetal alcohol syndrome?

A mother who drinks several drinks of alcohol per day during her pregnancy will inflict serious damage to her baby. The end result is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). There is growth deficiency, usually below the 10 percentile in terms of weight, height or both. There is a characteristic facial appearance like small eye openings and a thin upper lip. In addition severe central nervous system damage is another toxic effect of alcohol on the fetal brain. This leads to gait problems, speech and psychological problems.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

When a pregnant woman consumes less alcoholic beverages, there may be less damage to the fetus. This partial damage to the fetus is called “fetal alcohol spectrum disorder”, which resembles the term “autism spectrum disorder”. However, these two conditions are not related.

In a child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder some features of fetal alcohol syndrome would be present, but not all. A child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder may be able to lead an independent life as an adult.

Present rules about drinking during pregnancy

The CDC and the FDA say that a pregnant woman should not consume any alcohol during pregnancy. It even includes the weeks before a pregnancy. In addition, it also applies to the male before he fathers a child. It is a fact that sperm and precursors of sperm are very sensitive to alcohol toxicity. A woman’s eggs are also sensitive to alcohol toxicity. There is no place for a romantic dinner with alcohol  and sex later in the evening, that leads to a pregnancy. Romance and a romantic dinner is quite possible without alcohol, if sex that leads to pregnancy is in the plans. If you plan on getting pregnant as a couple you must be responsible, male or female. In view of all of the knowledge it is just not a good idea to subject yourself to alcohol before pregnancy.

New questions about the minimum toxic amount of alcohol

A search of the literature between 1950 and July 2016 has not revealed any convincing data about what one glass of alcohol per day would do during pregnancy. Some researchers will likely want to approach this topic in the near future. There are many women in the US who drink that much during pregnancy, but do not tell their healthcare providers. Researchers would like to conduct a trial where they follow women who consume one glass of alcohol per day during pregnancy. They will want to compare that to a control group with no alcohol intake during the pregnancy. Next would be a thorough investigation of the offspring and about the presence or absence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. At the present time there is no such data. We know that some women expose themselves to these smaller amounts of alcohol. But we do not know whether or not there is a serious consequence for this.

New meta-analysis study from Bristol, England in 2016 regarding drinking during pregnancy

The closest study that may answer part of the above questions is a metaanalysis from England. It attempted to shed some light on exposure of smaller amounts of alcohol during pregnancy. They examined several studies where the exposure was up to 32 Grams of alcohol per week during pregnancy. This is called a meta-analysis.

Researchers examined several parameters like stillbirth, gestational length and preterm delivery (less than 37 weeks). They also examined other factors, like a small baby for gestational age, low birth weight (less than 2500 g), and features of FAS.

Findings of the Bristol study

Researchers pooled a total of 288, 512 participants from several studies. The low alcohol consumption group (less than 32 grams per week) had 10% preterm deliveries. 8% of the babies were small for their gestational age. The offspring of pregnant ladies who drank up to 32 grams of alcohol per week were compared to abstainers. The alcohol consuming group had babies that on average weighed 13.49 grams less. Low birth weights (less than 2500 grams) were the same in both groups. A large US study showed a 24% risk of placental abruption in the light-drinking group compared to abstainers. FAS symptoms, conduct disorder or hyperactivity syndrome were the same in any of the pooled studies. The outcome between abstainers and light-drinking mothers was the same. No apparent difference could be found between the children of either group.

Common sense about drinking during pregnancy

At this point it is the safest to go by the recommendation of the CDC and all the official medical societies that recommend to not drinking any alcohol 3 months before a planned pregnancy and during the pregnancy. I consider it common sense that you avoid a known nerve toxin like alcohol during pregnancy. The toxic effect of alcohol in a high enough dosage does horrendous damage, as it is obvious with fetal alcohol syndrome. It stunts the baby’s growth and damages the brain. We have also seen that a lower exposure to alcohol still produces fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. It does not make sense to me to gamble, whether a lower concentration of alcohol may be “safe” to the fetus.

Limits of what research to do

Knowing that alcohol is a toxin to nervous tissue demands that no pregnant woman should drink alcoholic beverages at all. It simply is not safe. I suspect that some researcher who must do research at any cost will one day produce that hypothetical study of one drink of alcohol per day during pregnancy. I think it will show that a significant amount of cases have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The conclusion will be that it is safer not to drink alcohol during pregnancy.

How Much Drinking During Pregnancy Is Safe?

How Much Drinking During Pregnancy Is Safe?

Conclusion

Sometimes science is going beyond where it should go. In the study analyzed above several studies were pooled as a metaanalysis. There are limitations in terms of reliability of such studies.

But when it comes to testing what smaller amounts of alcohol do to a pregnancy we need to ask a few questions. Are we as a society really willing to risk future humans just to satisfy our curiosity whether or not drinking during pregnancy would be “safe”? Common sense tells us that alcohol as a known neurotoxic substance will be detrimental to a developing brain in a fetus, even in smaller amounts. Also, it is not clear whether ethics committees throughout the US will allow such a claim or will shut it down in the planning stages before it can ever take off. I would guess that it is more likely that any such plans for a trial of that nature will come under the scrutiny of the medical authorities including the CDC, the FDA and the American Medical Association and be shut down fairly quickly, because of the potential damage that could be inflicted onto the fetus.

It is much safer to carry on with the existing laws and recommendations and avoid all alcohol exposure before and during pregnancy.

Nov
20
2015

Zero Alcohol In Pregnancy!

By | alcohol, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, Pregnancy

The American Academy of Pediatrics warned recently that pregnant women should not drink any alcohol at all (“zero alcohol in pregnancy!”) to prevent learning disabilities and fetal abnormalities in their children. Even having one drink when pregnant can lead to mental difficulties in the offspring.

There is no safe amount of alcohol to drink through pregnancy

Dr. Cheryl Tan, an epidemiologist at the CDC said: “There is no safe amount, no safe time, and no safe type of alcohol to drink during pregnancy. It’s just not worth the risk”. Dr. Tan from the CDC did an extensive phone survey study where drinking behaviors of non-pregnant women and pregnant women were recorded. The results were as follows. 1 in 10 pregnant women said that they had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days; also 1 in 33 stated that she had been binge drinking (4 drinks or more).

Growth retardation and other problems in the baby when mother drinks alcohol

Pediatricians have found over the years that even one alcoholic drink per day in a pregnant woman will lead to growth retardation in the baby. But this is not all: there are a myriad of problems with the consumption of alcohol, like problems with hearing and vision, also heart, kidney and bone deformities. As the nervous tissue is very sensitive to the toxic effect of alcohol, the offspring of mothers who drank when pregnant often have neurodevelopmental issues such as difficulties with abstract reasoning, processing of information and ADHD.

Pregnant women drinking only in the first trimester compared to women who abstained, had more problems with their offspring. They were noted to be 12-times more likely having a child with neurodevelopmental issues. Women drinking in the first and the second trimester, but not the third were 61-times more at risk, while women drinking during all three trimesters increased the risk 65-times.

Medical science can be the problem

There was a previous study in only 2010 stating that it would be OK for a pregnant woman to drink one or two glasses of alcoholic drinks as the study showed no neurodevelopmental problems up until the age of 5 of the children born.

But at the end of the study the scientists did note that each mother and child is different in how they metabolize alcohol. The obstetrician should discuss with the pregnant woman what to do. This type of study makes no sense at all. It seems to carelessly suggest to women to get pregnant and continue to drink.

There can be a serious compromise in terms of neurodevelopmental development

Remember that all of the nervous tissue has to develop out of a fertilized egg, then form into the neural tube and grow into the cerebellum and the brain. On each of the multiple steps of embryonic development there is enzyme induction that determines the next step in the development and many of these important decision points can be interrupted by alcohol. The newest study from the CDC indicates very clearly that it is not safe to drink at all throughout pregnancy. The reason is that there can be a serious compromise in terms of neurodevelopmental development.

Previous toxicity studies regarding the fetal alcohol syndrome

A study from Ghana documented that fetal alcohol syndrome exists in this African country, although previously not too much was medically noted. Physicians and nurses picked up 90% of children with fetal alcohol syndrome as “failure to thrive”. 80% of these children had heart disease and 50% had hernias.

A study from Poland showed the correlation between prenatal exposure to alcohol and developmental problems in children. The sad results is that among the 7 to 9 year olds there were 2% who suffered from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. And 0.4% of the offspring had fetal alcohol syndrome. There was a great need in Poland to develop diagnostic skills to diagnose neurodevelopmental disorders.

Developmental abnormalities in humans and in animal models with alcohol exposure

These human findings are mirrored by animal studies using a mouse model where alcohol was administered at certain times during pregnancy. The researchers could not find any safe time period during the pregnancy of mice where alcohol was not toxic. All concentrations of alcohol caused congenital abnormalities. To the contrary: chromosomal abnormalities developed as a result of alcohol exposure that persisted into life after birth. Fetal alcohol syndrome birth defects can be pinpointed to the exact exposure time in pregnancy. It is at certain specific times in pregnancy when certain organ formations take place.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

The newest study from a group of pediatricians states unequivocally that no exposure to any alcohol is safe throughout any pregnancy. In 1973 fetal alcohol syndrome was first published with a cluster of genetic abnormalities. It has been recognized that subtler neurodevelopmental syndromes are due to lower alcohol concentrations during pregnancies. This results in what physicians now call “fetal alcohol spectrum disorders”.

It is the key observation that researchers could not find any neurodevelopmental problems in women who did not drink. Women who did not drink a single alcoholic beverage during their pregnancy were the strong point of the study. They formed the control group that caused the strong statement in this research paper.

“The research suggests that the smartest choice for women who are pregnant is to just abstain from alcohol completely,” said Dr. Janet F. Williams, one of the leading authors of the report from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Zero Alcohol In Pregnancy!

Zero Alcohol In Pregnancy!

Conclusion

The question whether it is safe to drink a bit of alcohol when pregnant has finally been answered. It has been shown clearly that a woman who is pregnant should refrain from all forms of alcohol. It is for the sake of giving birth to a healthy baby. Despite the definition of fetal alcohol syndrome in 1973 it has taken until 2015 before clear answers came.  Studies now lead to guidance from the health care profession and the CDC as well regarding drinking and pregnancy. How can we expect to have a healthy next generation both physically and neurodevelopmentally? We have to take responsibility during the next generation’s pregnancy. This is the responsibility of the mother, the father and society at large.