Maternal binge drinking linked to mood problems and alcohol abuse in offspring


A new study is the first to show that binge drinking by expectant mothers can impair the mental health of their offspring. Researchers report that rat mothers who drank in a binge-like manner during pregnancy and lactation were more prone to depressive behaviors – and so were their offspring. Moreover, alcohol-triggered heritable changes in the mother made their offspring more vulnerable to mood disturbances and alcohol abuse as adolescents.