Alcohol Consumption Before Pregnancy Linked to Congenital‍ Heart Disease in Babies

Experts ⁤advise that women who are pregnant or planning to‍ become pregnant should definitely stop drinking alcohol. However, a recent study found that not only women but also men should ​abstain⁣ from drinking alcohol at least 6 months before planning to become pregnant.

A research team from the‍ School ⁣of Public Health at Central South University in China analyzed 55 studies involving 42,000‍ infants with congenital heart disease and 298,000 infants without the disease. The study⁣ aimed to ⁢investigate the relationship between parental alcohol consumption and the risk of congenital heart disease in offspring.

The results showed that if both partners had‌ drinking habits before 3 months of pregnancy or if the woman drank alcohol during the first ⁤3 months of pregnancy, the risk of the⁣ baby developing congenital heart⁤ disease increased. Congenital heart ‌disease is a disease that indicates a ‍malformation ⁣or dysfunction of the heart that exists at birth.

Compared with people who did not drink ⁤alcohol in the three‍ months before or during pregnancy, men who drank alcohol ‍had a 44% increased risk ⁣of their babies developing congenital ‌heart disease, and women who drank alcohol had a 16% increased risk. Binge drinking of more than five glasses of alcohol at a⁤ time‌ increased the risk of developing the disease by 52% ‌for men and 16% for⁢ women.

Dr. Jiabi ⁢Qin, the lead author ⁤of the study, emphasized the importance of abstaining from alcohol before pregnancy. “Alcohol not only ⁤harms your body, but also increases the risk of heart‍ problems in your unborn baby,” he ​said. ⁣”If you ⁢are⁢ planning to get pregnant, both men and women should stop drinking alcohol at least ⁣six months before getting pregnant.”

The study’s findings ​were published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, highlighting the need for ​both men and women to be aware of the risks associated with alcohol consumption before pregnancy.