Maternal alcohol consumption and offspring DNA methylation: findings from six general population-based birth cohorts.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Aim
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is sometimes associated with adverse outcomes in offspring, potentially mediated by epigenetic modifications. We aimed to investigate genome-wide DNA methylation in cord blood of newborns exposed to alcohol in utero.Materials & methods
We meta-analyzed information from six population-based birth cohorts within the Pregnancy and Childhood Epigenetics consortium.Results
We found no strong evidence of association at either individual CpGs or across larger regions of the genome.Conclusion
Our findings suggest no association between maternal alcohol consumption and offspring cord blood DNA methylation. This is in stark contrast to the multiple strong associations previous studies have found for maternal smoking, which is similarly socially patterned. However, it is possible that a combination of a larger sample size, higher doses, different timings of exposure, exploration of a different tissue and a more global assessment of genomic DNA methylation might show evidence of association.
SUBMITTER: Sharp GC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5753623 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Maternal alcohol consumption and offspring DNA methylation: findings from six general population-based birth cohorts.
Sharp Gemma C GC Arathimos Ryan R Reese Sarah E SE Page Christian M CM Felix Janine J Küpers Leanne K LK Rifas-Shiman Sheryl L SL Liu Chunyu C Burrows Kimberley K Zhao Shanshan S Magnus Maria C MC Duijts Liesbeth L Corpeleijn Eva E DeMeo Dawn L DL Litonjua Augusto A Baccarelli Andrea A Hivert Marie-France MF Oken Emily E Snieder Harold H Jaddoe Vincent V Nystad Wenche W London Stephanie J SJ Relton Caroline L CL Zuccolo Luisa L
Epigenomics 20171127 1
<h4>Aim</h4>Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is sometimes associated with adverse outcomes in offspring, potentially mediated by epigenetic modifications. We aimed to investigate genome-wide DNA methylation in cord blood of newborns exposed to alcohol in utero.<h4>Materials & methods</h4>We meta-analyzed information from six population-based birth cohorts within the Pregnancy and Childhood Epigenetics consortium.<h4>Results</h4>We found no strong evidence of association at either individual ...[more]
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