A Healthy Start Begins Before Birth

High levels of alcohol use in pregnancy have been shown to be associated with negative physical health consequences in offspring. However, the literature is less clear on the association of alcohol use in pregnancy and offspring mental health, specifically for low levels of prenatal alcohol exposure.

Paternal alcohol consumption may affect fetal development through a direct effect on the father’s sperm or gonads. This possibility casts new light on the heritability of alcoholism in humans.

While studies have long shown that the environment before conception can affect offspring behavior, research over the past decade suggests that changes in sperm epigenetics may play a role in passing traits across generations.

This study examined whether fathers’ alcohol use before conception was linked to behavioural problems in their children. Its findings provided preliminary evidence that preconceptional paternal alcohol consumption may increase risks of child behavioural problems.

CanFASD’s latest issue paper examines the current research on the potential genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to the fathers’ role in FASD.