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Prenatal alcohol exposure and adverse fetal growth restriction: findings from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Pediatric Research volume 92, pages 291–298 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Backgrounds

Japanese studies on the association between maternal alcohol consumption and fetal growth are few. This study assessed the effect of maternal alcohol consumption on fetal growth.

Methods

This prospective birth cohort included 95,761 participants enrolled between January 2011 and March 2014 in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. Adjusted multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the association between prenatal alcohol consumption and infant birth size.

Results

Consumption of a weekly dose of alcohol in the second/third trimester showed a significant negative correlation with standard deviation (SD; Z) scores for body weight, body length, and head circumference at birth, respectively. Consumption of a weekly dose of alcohol during the second/third trimester had a significant positive correlation with incidences of Z-score ≤ −1.5 for birth head circumference. Associations between alcohol consumption in the second/third trimester and Z-score ≤ −1.5 for birth weight or birth length were not significant. Maternal alcohol consumption in the second/third trimester above 5, 20, and 100 g/week affected body weight, body length, and head circumference at birth, respectively.

Conclusion

Low-to-moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy might affect fetal growth. Public health policies for pregnant women are needed to stop alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Impact

  • This study examined the association between maternal alcohol consumption and fetal growth restriction in 95,761 pregnant Japanese women using the prospective birth cohort.

  • Maternal alcohol consumption in the second/third trimester more than 5, 20, and 100 g/week might affect fetal growth in body weight, body length, and head circumference, respectively.

  • The findings are relevant and important for educating pregnant women on the adverse health effects that prenatal alcohol consumptions have on infants.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the individuals who participated in the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. We express our sincere appreciation to the collaborating hospitals and clinics. We also express our gratitude to the members of staff of the Hokkaido, Miyagi, Fukushima, Chiba, Kanagawa, Koshin, Toyama, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Tottori, Kochi, Fukuoka, and Minami-Kyushu and Okinawa Regional Centers, Program Office, and Medical Support Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (Appendix 1). The Japan Environment and Children’s Study is funded by the operating budget of the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. The findings and conclusions of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of the Ministry of the Environment of the Japanese government.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maternity and Perinatal Care Center, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan

    Kazutoshi Cho, Hisanori Minakami & Yuichi Nakamura

  2. Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

    Sumitaka Kobayashi, Atsuko Araki, Chihiro Miyashita, Sachiko Itoh & Reiko Kishi

  3. Department of Social Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan

    Yasuaki Saijo

  4. Faculty of Nursing, Japanese Red Cross Hokkaido College of Nursing, Kitami, Japan

    Yoshiya Ito

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan

    Kazuo Sengoku

  6. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan

    Tsuyoshi Baba

  7. Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan

    Michihiro Kamijima

  8. National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan

    Shin Yamazaki

  9. National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan

    Yukihiro Ohya

  10. Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

    Reiko Kishi

  11. Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

    Nobuo Yaegashi

  12. Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan

    Koichi Hashimoto

  13. Chiba University, Chiba, Japan

    Chisato Mori

  14. Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan

    Shuichi Ito

  15. University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan

    Zentaro Yamagata

  16. University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan

    Hidekuni Inadera

  17. Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Takeo Nakayama

  18. Osaka University, Suita, Japan

    Hiroyasu Iso

  19. Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan

    Masayuki Shima

  20. Tottori University, Yonago, Japan

    Youichi Kurozawa

  21. Kochi University, Nankoku, Japan

    Narufumi Suganuma

  22. University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan

    Koichi Kusuhara

  23. Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan

    Takahiko Katoh

Authors
  1. Kazutoshi Cho
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  2. Sumitaka Kobayashi
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  6. Yasuaki Saijo
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  9. Tsuyoshi Baba
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Consortia

The Japan Environment and Children’s Study Group

  • Michihiro Kamijima
  • , Shin Yamazaki
  • , Yukihiro Ohya
  • , Reiko Kishi
  • , Nobuo Yaegashi
  • , Koichi Hashimoto
  • , Chisato Mori
  • , Shuichi Ito
  • , Zentaro Yamagata
  • , Hidekuni Inadera
  • , Takeo Nakayama
  • , Hiroyasu Iso
  • , Masayuki Shima
  • , Youichi Kurozawa
  • , Narufumi Suganuma
  • , Koichi Kusuhara
  •  & Takahiko Katoh

Contributions

K.C., S.K., A.A., S.I., H.M., and R.K. conceived and designed the study. K.C., S.K., A.A., C.M., S.I., Y.S., Y.I., K.S., T.B., H.M., and R.K. performed the data collection. K.C., S.K., A.A., S.I., and R.K. performed the statistical analysis and contributed the manuscript preparation and literature search. S.K., A.A., S.I., H.M., and R.K. interpreted the data. S.K., A.A., C.M., S.I., Y.S., Y.I., Y.N., and R.K. contributed the critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. Y.S., Y.I., K.S., and R.K. contributed the funds collection and was supervisor of the study. All authors approved the version of the manuscript to be published.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sumitaka Kobayashi.

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Cho, K., Kobayashi, S., Araki, A. et al. Prenatal alcohol exposure and adverse fetal growth restriction: findings from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study. Pediatr Res 92, 291–298 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-021-01595-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-021-01595-3

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