Bengaluru: A study by Chinese researchers has linked congenital heart disease (CHD) in babies to consumption of alcohol by prospective fathers.
According to the study, any consumption of alcohol by prospective fathers three months prior to conception could increase the chances of the foetus developing CHD by 44 per cent.
If the prospective fathers binge-drink — consume more than four drinks per session — the odds could increase to 52 per cent. The risk stands at 16 per cent if prospective mothers drink three months before conception, the researchers said.
The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology Thursday, is a meta analysis and review of existing studies on the subject, and shows correlation, not causation.
It has been conducted by researchers from Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Hunan.
This is the first study to examine the relationship between paternal alcohol consumption and congenital heart disease among offspring. It checks for alcohol consumption by parents in the period from three months before conception to the first trimester.
Numbers and research
Congenital heart disease affects 8.22 per cent of all births globally. In India, between 8 and 12 babies per 1,000 births are affected by CHD.
Existing research has shown that alcohol consumption can damage sperm motility and affect the sperm’s DNA in a process called methylation, thus affecting the offspring.
There is now an increasing amount of research to understand paternal role in birth defects and DNA changes in babies.
The new research considered 55 studies involving 41,747 babies with CHD. The Chinese researchers concluded that more studies are needed on the subject to help improve and spread awareness on congenital diseases associated with parental alcohol consumption.
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