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Alcohol Binges Early in Pregnancy Increase Risk of Infant Oral Clefts BETHESDA, Md -- July 31, 2008 -- Pregnant women who binge drink early in their pregnancy increase the likelihood that their babies will be born with oral clefts, according to a study published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The researchers found that women who consumed an average of 5 or more drinks per sitting were more than twice as likely than nondrinkers to have an infant with either of the 2 major infant oral clefts. Women who drank at this level on 3 or more occasions during the first trimester were 3 times more likely to have infants born with oral clefts. "These findings reinforce the fact that women should not drink alcohol during pregnancy," said lead author Lisa A. DeRoo, PhD, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Bethesda, Maryland. "Prenatal exposure to alcohol, especially excessive amounts at one time, can adversely affect the fetus and may increase the risk of infant clefts." The population-based study was conducted in Norway, which has one of the highest rates of oral clefts in Europe. The investigators contacted all families of newborn infants born with clefts between 1996 and 2002. The study included 573 mothers (mean age, 29 years) who had babies born with cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, and with cleft palate only. An additional 763 mothers were randomly selected from all live births in Norway for comparison. Mothers completed a self-administered, mailed questionnaire that focused heavily on the mother's lifestyle and environmental exposures during her first 3 months of pregnancy, when a baby's facial development takes place. The researchers found increased risks of orofacial clefts among infants whose mothers reported binge-level drinking at an average of 5 or more drinks per occasion during the first trimester compared with nondrinkers. Risk was further increased among women who drank at this level most frequently. "The greater the blood alcohol concentration, the longer the fetus is exposed. A single binge during a critical period of an infant's development can be harmful," said Dr. DeRoo. "Fortunately, heavy maternal drinking is uncommon in many populations, but the fact that it is happening at all tells us we need to do a better job of letting mothers know about the effects alcohol can have on their baby's development," said coauthor Allen J. Wilcox, MD, NIEHS. SOURCE: US National Institutes of Health E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version