Zinc May Counter Effects of Alcohol in Early Pregnancy

Before looking at whether an adequate intake of zinc is able to counter the effects of alcohol during the earlier part of a pregnancy it is important to have a clear understanding of the full effects of alcohol consumption and the consequences it will have on the child. While everybody understands and knows that alcohol consumption is not good for a pregnancy, not many people realize the complete impact it will have in the future. Considering that alcohol is one of the hardest indulgences to give up, even though a mother will do anything to ensure the safety of her child, some women may be too tempted to have a glass or two thinking that a little of it would not really affect the baby. However, studies have shown that there is no stipulated amount of alcohol that is considered to be safe and, as a result, complete abstinence is the only guarantee.

The impact that the indulgence will have on the baby will depend largely on the quantity of alcohol consumed. For example, heavy consumption – around 5 or more drinks on one occasion, is the root cause of a number of birth defects that are all classified under the name of fetal alcohol syndrome. Some of the birth defects that come under the banner of fetal alcohol syndrome include deformities of the baby’s face, brain damage, vision and hearing problems, problems with the heart, kidney, and liver as well as mental deficiencies with regards to attention span, memory and problem solving.

When it comes to linking zinc with a counter effect on alcohol consumption – it must be pointed out that most information on the subject is only available from tests carried out on animals. The effects of alcohol on the fetus depend on the amount as well as duration of exposure to alcohol as well as the development stage of the cells and tissues involved. Some previous research has shown that the prenatal alcohols, as well as some other forms of toxins combine to result in fetal zinc deficiency as well as inducing zinc binding protein in the mother’s liver to give rise to teratogenicity. Zinc is also known to boost the enzyme that clears alcohol from the system zinc is commonly found in a number of food sources such as turkey, chicken, crabmeat, beef and lamb. It is important to note that most foods that are rich in zinc content will also have high protein content.