Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol 1, Issue 2 193-198, Copyright © 1982 by American College of Nutrition

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Magnesium and zinc deficiency and growth retardation in offspring of alcoholic rats

S. M. Suh and A. F. Firek

Alcohol ingestion during pregnancy is known to cause fetal malformation and growth retardation. We investigated the effect of alcohol on mineral content and fetal development in rats fed 24% (v/v) alcohol eight weeks prior to and during pregnancy. Rats ingesting alcohol produced fewer fetuses (6.3 +/- 0.3 vs 9.6 +/- 0.3 in control) with lower fetal weight (3.48 +/- 0.09 vs 4.12 +/- 0.08 gm in control) and heavier placentas (0.66 +/- 0.05 vs 0.50 +/- 0.01 gm in control). The fetuses of alcoholic rats contained lower zinc (423.8 +/- 4.5 vs 459.9 +/- 5.4 microEq/100 gm dry weight in control) and magnesium (12.4 +/- 0.1 vs 12.7 +/- 0.1 mEq/100 gm dry weight in control) in the total carcass.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. E. Cogswell, P. Weisberg, and C. Spong Cigarette Smoking, Alcohol Use and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: Implications for Micronutrient Supplementation J. Nutr., May 1, 2003; 133(5): 1722S - 1731. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]