Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Childhood Health – Lecture Review

A set of question-and-answer flashcards reviewing alcohol metabolism, fetal alcohol effects, and obesity-related chronic illness in children.

What is the only sure way to prevent alcohol-related intellectual and physical disabilities in a baby?

Avoid all alcohol during pregnancy.

Exposure to alcohol in pregnancy can cause prenatal and postnatal .

growth restriction

Alcohol-related brain and central nervous system damage leads to impairments in what two broad areas?

Cognition and behavior

Facial and skull abnormalities from prenatal alcohol exposure alter normal .

symmetry

Maternal drinking harms the fetus through what two primary mechanisms?

Direct intoxication and maternal malnutrition; alcohol stays in fetal blood

In which trimester does alcohol exposure most critically disrupt major organ formation?

First trimester

Alcohol exposure in ____ trimester raises the risk of spontaneous abortion.

second

Damage to the fetal brain is most pronounced when alcohol is consumed in which trimester?

Third trimester

What chronic disease linked to obesity now affects roughly one-fifth of adolescents?

Type 2 diabetes

Name three cardiovascular conditions that childhood obesity can lead to.

Atherosclerosis, high blood cholesterol, and high blood pressure

Why are regular screenings recommended for obese children?

To detect diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors early

What type of alcohol is present in beer, wine, and liquor?

Ethyl alcohol (ethanol)

What biological process turns sugars into ethanol using yeast?

Fermentation

How many calories are provided per gram of alcohol?

7 calories per gram

Carbohydrates and proteins each supply ___calories per gram.

4

Fat supplies ___calories per gram.

9

About what percentage of ingested alcohol is absorbed in the stomach?

Approximately 20 percent

Roughly what percentage of ingested alcohol is absorbed in the small intestine?

Approximately 80 percent

List the five sequential stages alcohol undergoes in the body.

Ingestion, Absorption, Circulation, Metabolism, Excretion

Why does alcohol affect the central nervous system so rapidly?

Once absorbed, it enters the bloodstream and is quickly distributed to the brain.

Roughly what proportion of alcohol is metabolized by the liver?

About 90–95 percent

Which liver enzyme converts alcohol to acetaldehyde?

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)

Which enzyme converts acetaldehyde to acetate?

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)

After metabolism, acetate is either converted___to or stored as ___.

energy; fat