There is no evidence whatsoever that consuming certain types of alcohol is safer for fetuses than others . Alcohol is a toxin . And the reason fetal alcohol syndrome exists is because the ability of that toxin to disrupt cellular processes .
First . If you look online , you will sometimes be able to find sadly that some people believe that certain kinds of alcohol are not detrimental to fetuses . They'll say , well , champagne is safe for a pregnant mother to drink , but beer is not , that is absolutely categorically false .
Fetal alcohol syndrome is well known and established . It's terrible fetuses , experience diminished brain development , that's often permanent , diminished limb development , diminished organ development in the periphery , meaning you know , the heart , the lungs , the liver , et cetera , ingesting alcohol while pregnant is simply a bad idea . And the reason I say this at all is first of all , it's important to include in an episode like this .
And the reason fetal alcohol syndrome exists is because the ability of that toxin to disrupt cellular processes . Remember , tumor growth and the way that alcohol can accelerate tumor growth by proliferation of cells , the wrong cells , the ones you don't want to proliferate . Well , all of embryonic development , all of fetal development , it's not the growth of a tumor .
I haven't used that word yet but it substance that can mutate DNA through alterations in DNA methylation and these checkpoints in the cell cycle . Alcohol is a mutagen is one of the worst things that a developing embryo can be exposed to . And again , because it's water soluble and fat soluble ingestion of alcohol when people are pregnant passes right to the fetus .
