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Smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy affects preterm infants' docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) status

C M Smuts1, H Y Tichelaar, M A Dhansay

  • 1National Research Programme for Nutritional Intervention, MRC, Tygerberg, South Africa. marius.smuts@mrc.ac.za

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|August 14, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Maternal alcohol consumption and smoking during pregnancy may alter infant fatty acid composition. Infants born to mothers who consumed alcohol and smoked had higher docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels at birth.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal nutrition
  • Infant health
  • Maternal health

Background:

  • Prenatal exposure to alcohol and smoking can impact infant development.
  • Very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants are particularly vulnerable to nutritional deficits.
  • Understanding the effects on fatty acid composition is crucial for VLBW infant care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of maternal alcohol consumption and smoking on infant erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition.
  • To compare fatty acid profiles in VLBW infants exposed to different levels of prenatal substance use.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of erythrocyte membrane total fatty acids in 40 VLBW infants at birth, day 14, and day 28.
  • Data collection on maternal smoking and alcohol consumption habits during pregnancy.
  • Statistical comparison of fatty acid levels based on maternal substance use.

Main Results:

  • 50% of mothers smoked and 42% consumed alcohol during pregnancy.
  • Infants of mothers who smoked and consumed alcohol showed significantly higher docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels at birth (p < 0.05).
  • No significant differences were observed in other fatty acids analyzed.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal exposure to alcohol and smoking is associated with altered DHA levels in VLBW infants at birth.
  • The long-term clinical significance of these altered DHA levels requires further investigation.
  • This highlights a potential nutritional consequence of maternal substance use in high-risk pregnancies.

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