Binge drinking linked to baby’s development in the womb: study

Scientists have developed a practical way to spot a lush.

UK researchers have found that one’s love of the sauce may be linked to exposure to testosterone in the womb – which has a distinct effect on the development of a baby’s hands, according to a study published in the American Journal Of Human Biology.

“It is possible that changes in alcohol consumption are established in the womb,” said study author John Manning, who teaches evolutionary biology at Swansea University in Wales, the Daily Mail reported.

To determine how people get drawn at such an early age, scientists surveyed more than 258 students – 169 women and 58 men – about their weekly drinking habits.

They then measured the length of their fingers, which are thought to reveal how much testosterone (the male sex hormone) or estrogen (the female sex hormone) we were exposed to in the womb, and therefore our so-called level of “masculinity”. “

Manning specifically used the somewhat controversial method of measuring 2D:4D digit ratios, the discrepancy in length between the index and ring fingers.

He believed that having a ring finger longer than the index finger was associated with greater prenatal testosterone exposure, while having a longer index digit was associated with a higher level of estrogen in the womb.

“This ratio is considered to be a biomarker of the balance between fetal testosterone and estrogen,” explained the professor describing these so-called alcoholic drink data.

The bar exam found that the heaviest drinkers tended to have a “low digit ratio” — meaning their ring finger is longer than their index finger — and were therefore exposed to higher levels. high levels of male sex hormones in the prenatal room.

From this, Manning suggested that higher testosterone—referred to in the study as a “prenatal sex steroid”—results in increased alcohol tolerance and thus drinking habits.

“Enzymes in men’s stomachs can reduce alcohol absorption by 30 percent, while women absorb more into the bloodstream,” he said.

However, the study was not for men to have bragging rights about their hepatic endurance, but to shed light on the prevailing issue of alcohol abuse.

“Alcohol consumption is a huge social and economic problem,” Manning explained. “Therefore, it is important to understand why alcohol use shows significant differences between individuals.”

A major caveat is that the study only sampled college students, who may represent a small portion of the population in terms of drinking habits.

He explained that more studies will be needed to determine whether the link between prenatal testosterone exposure and adult drinking is causal rather than correlative.

In the past, the 2D:4D ratio has been used to predict everything from penis size to whether someone’s mother had an above-average income.