Heba Ahmed

Biology 101

My chapter that I have chosen was Chapter Three which was Human Development. The

feature that I have chosen was Biology in Perspective. My chapter thread was Life

Application:Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fetal Alcohol spectrum disorders encompasses a range of

health problems, experienced by children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally. The most

severe form, fetal alcohol syndrome, is a lifelong condition. The condition occurs in from 0.2 to

1.5 out of every 1000 births in the United States, while the less severe form is present in up to 6

out of every 1000. Children with FAS may suffer and experience different symptoms such as

poor growth, abnormal facial features, hyperactivity, poor reasoning skills, vision problems,

hearing problems, and mental disabilities. This condition is preventable by not drinking at all

before, during, and after pregnancy. There is no known treatment, but a supportive home and

education can achieve a more positive outcome. Sometimes, a woman has no idea that she is

pregnant, but if she does, she should stop as soon as she learns of it and if she plans to start a

family, she should not drink (Bozzone, Green).

The article pretty much is the lengthy version of the Life Application on page 80 of the

textbook. The article has talked about that almost all of the children with FSA will have mental

health problems as adults and 82 percent will not live independently. Only about 12.2 percent of

pregnant women drink in the United States; however, in low- and middle-income countries about

double that number of women will drink during pregnancy. Their faces feature foreshortened

chins, thin upper lips, a flat midface, short nose, and low nasal bridge (Rotheram-Borus,

Tomlinson).
 The article that I have chosen was from Time Magazine. The article has stated that:

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost all of these children

will have mental health problems as adults and 82 percent will not live independently. The

impacts of a mother drinking during pregnancy are not seen immediately. Brain damage slowly

shows itself when the baby is small and fails to grow, speech comes late, colors are not learned

by kindergarten, and school becomes a daily challenge. The evidence that the magazine showed

was that only about 12.2 percent of pregnant women drink in the United States; however, in low-

and middle-income countries about double that number of women will drink during pregnancy.

In one of the developing countries visited by the researchers who wrote this article they have

seen children playing outside all day long, many of whom are showing the telltale signs of the

disorder. Their faces feature foreshortened chins, thin upper lips, a flat midface, short nose, and

low nasal bridge. About one in four pregnant women in South Africa drink alcohol before

recognizing she is pregnant and, without intervention, women who drank before realizing they

were pregnant drank much more throughout their pregnancy. There really is no known safe

amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy. There is also no known safe period to drink during

pregnancy. Binge drinking is by far the worst thing to do while pregnantlarge doses (even if

infrequent) are far worse than a small amount of alcohol routinely. The conclusion was that: In

the next year, another 40,000 infants will be born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in the

U.S. Following on the heels of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day earlier this

month, we encourage you make a personal pledge to watch out for yourself, your friends, and

people you encounter casually who may be at risk of creating a child with the disorder. The price

to our children, our families, and our future is too high (Rotheram-Borus, Tomlinson).
 The topic doesnt really relate to me because I am not pregnant yet and I am not allowed

to drink, I am not sure if I plan to be pregnant in the future, but if I ever am, as stated previously

I am not allowed to drink so whether I am pregnant or not I can not drink. If I found a woman

who I know is pregnant and she is allowed to drink, I will tell her respectively to not drink

because it will most likely cause her baby abnormalities, but I will still feel sad for the women

who drink while pregnant and have children with abnormalities (Bozzone, Green). This portion

of the article makes me a bit nervous: Only about 12.2 percent of pregnant women drink in the

United States; however, in low- and middle-income countries about double that number of

women will drink during pregnancy (Rotheram-Borus, Tomlinson). There were no problems

when I read the article, however, when I was reading it, I noticed that the study only focused on

South Africa and the U.S. There was no other countries that could be compared with South

Africa and the U.S. The conclusion that I have arrived at was that there are women who drink

alcohol while pregnant, and they harm their fetus (Bozzone, Green). Their children end up with

thin upper lips, a flat midface, short nose, and low nasal bridge (Rotheram-Borus, Tomlinson).

And though there are about 12.2 percent of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy in the

U.S. In South Africa, there is a double that amount (Rotheram-Borus, Tomlinson). This

problem needs to be addressed by raising awareness, teaching lessons, showing pictures, and the

ob gyn banning the pregnant woman from drinking during her pregnancy.

Works Cited:
 1. Bozzone, D. M., & Green, D. S. (2014). Biology for the informed citizen: with

physiology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

2. Rotheram-Borus, M. J., & Tomlinson, M. (2014, September 12). Fetal Alcohol

Syndrome: This Is Your Child's Brain on Alcohol. Retrieved September 24, 2017,

from http://time.com/3342053/this-is-your-childs-brain-on-alcohol/

Article Attached:

IDEAS HEALTH
This is Your Childs Brain on the Alcohol

By Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus and Mark Tomlinson September 12, 2014

Social scientists have calculated that detrimental effects of alcohol cost the U.S. some
$223.5 billion a year. Were talking health issues such as liver disease, impaired driving, lost
work due to hangovers, and emergency room visits. Alcohol costs substantially more to
Americans than the harmful effects of illicit drug use ($151.4 billion) or tobacco ($167.8 billion).

But theres a more disturbing cost that you might be surprised to learn about thats not
even factored into those staggering numbers: fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, the conditions that
can result when a mother drinks during pregnancy. (When all of the disorders are present, in their
most severe forms, we call it fetal alcohol syndrome.) According to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, almost all of these children will have mental health problems as adults
and 82 percent will not live independently. During adolescence, they also face an increased risk
of drug and alcohol addiction. As a result, the lifetime cost of providing services to just one
person with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in 2002 was about $2 million. And 40,000 children
are born each year in the U.S. with the disorders.

While both of us will have a beer or glass of wine with friends, neither Mary Jane nor
Marks wife had a drink of alcohol while pregnant. Our friends and our doctors, along with
casual reading on the subject, had impressed on us the serious risks and we decided it was not
worth it. Only about 12.2 percent of pregnant women drink in the United States; however, in
low- and middle-income countries about double that number of women will drink during
pregnancy.

The two of us really saw the visceral impact of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders when we
started working on improving mothers and childrens lives in South Africa. Fetal alcohol
spectrum disorder affects as many as one in 10 children entering first grade in South Africa, the
highest reported rate in the world.

Up until the 1990s, black South Africans were partially paid for their work in fields with
a DOP or portion of wine. Drinking alcohol continues to be a part of the daily fabric of life in
the townshipsincluding brewing (and drinking) beer or spirits at home and visiting local bars
known as shebeens. Alcohol is directly related to the high unemployment rates, especially for
men in the townshipsup to half of the young men are un- or under-employed over their
lifetime.

The impacts of a mother drinking during pregnancy are not seen immediately. Brain
damage slowly shows itself when the baby is small and fails to grow, speech comes late, colors
are not learned by kindergarten, and school becomes a daily challenge. As we walked through
informal settlements in Cape Town and Worcestershacks without running water or flush
toiletswe saw stunted and malnourished children playing outside all day long, many with the
telltale signs of the disorder. Their faces feature foreshortened chins, thin upper lips, a flat
midface, short nose, and low nasal bridge. We couldnt help but think ahead to the problems
these children will have in school and their increased likelihood for dropping out. Their futures
evaporated before they had a chance to grow, because of what their mothers knowingly or
unknowingly drank before they were even born.

About one in four pregnant women in South Africa drink alcohol before recognizing she
is pregnant and, without intervention, women who drank before realizing they were pregnant
drank much more throughout their pregnancy. Even though there has lately been much chatter
about how the occasional glass of wine with dinner should be OK, there really is no known
safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy. There is also no known safe period to drink
during pregnancy. Binge drinking is by far the worst thing to do while pregnantlarge doses
(even if infrequent) are far worse than a small amount of alcohol routinely. Unfortunately,
among alcohol drinkers in America, one in four binge drink, typically on weekends. This
includes women who knowingly or unknowingly binge drink while pregnant.

The variations in how and when people drink may be the reason we have not been able to
eliminate the negative consequences of alcohol during pregnancy. While access to drugs is often
limited in many parts of the world, alcohol is almost universally available, especially in low-
income countries because it can be manufactured locally. Brief, one-time counseling sessions
that focus on the vulnerability of a fetus during pregnancy can help mothers understand the risks
and reduce their drinking while pregnant. At sessions we offered to expectant mothers in South
Africa, the influence of alcohol on a developing brain is starkly demonstrated by cracking an egg
in alcohol at room temperaturethe egg poaches. A childs brain is fried when alcohol is
circulating through its body. However, most women worldwide do not have access to these
interventions. Compounding the problem: local healers throughout the world often use alcohol-
laced remedies to help their clients relax. Pregnant women are often encouraged to take brews
that include alcohol.

Here in the U.S., alcohol is embedded in almost all of our social rituals. Mary Janes
parents in Los Angeles never drank, but they always had liquor to offer friends who came over
for dinner. She does not know a male colleague who does not fancy himself a wine connoisseur
and has been flabbergasted at the amount of money peers will spend on bottles of wine.
Christmas, Yom Kippur, football tailgate parties, and practically all developmental milestones
(graduations, child births, deaths) are marked with alcohol.
 Given that alcohol permeates our livesand every individual responds differently to
alcoholwe have a responsibility to support one another and create a culture where yes is not
the expected answer to, Do you want a drink? Genetic influence when it comes to alcohol
abuse is real and scary. Some people are able to drink and never develop an addiction, while for
others alcohol is a daily craving that is difficult to control. Previous attempts at controlling
alcohol use that frame it as a question of willpower didnt work. We need a more community-
level approaches with policies like the ones we already have with the minimum age of drinking,
restriction of bars in the proximity of schools, demonstration of a legal I.D. in order to purchase
alcohol, and punishment of bar owners who continue to serve intoxicated customers.

National rates of tobacco smoking decreased as a result of structural and policy changes,
including higher tobacco taxes, bans on smoking in restaurants and workplaces, and limits to the
ability to when and where tobacco can be bought. Alcohol use could be similarly regulated
through higher alcohol taxes, continued limits on buying liquor based on the time of day or day
of the week, and limiting alcohol at sports events, especially collegiate sports, or at educational
events and professional conferences. Changing social rituals such as bringing alcohol to
parties, celebrating major achievements with champagne, marking the end of a work week with
getting drunk- will take much longer to shift. Perhaps we could bring premium fruit juices to
dinner parties instead.

In the next year, another 40,000 infants will be born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
in the U.S. Following on the heels of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day earlier
this month, we encourage you make a personal pledge to watch out for yourself, your friends,
and people you encounter casually who may be at risk of creating a child with the disorder. The
price to our children, our families, and our future is too high.