Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

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Recommended: Alcohol abuse among pregnant women

Nutrition is a key component of an individual’s healthy well being. Many factors have a significant effect on nutrition and it is important to continuously maintain a balanced one. Having a good nutrition is one of the main defenses for an innumerous amount of illnesses and diseases that can harm the body. One would ask, “What is nutrition per say, and how do we maintain the balance of it?” Nutrition is defined as “the sum of the processes by which [a living thing] takes in and utilizes food substances.” (Merriam-Webster, 2011). It is the responsibility of each individual to assure the consumption of enough nutrients to nourish the body and to be cautious of harmful toxins. A child is dependent on their guardian on being taught how to have a well-nourished diet, as they are incapable of maintaining it on their own. It is extremely important that a pregnant mother is well aware of the concepts of nutrition, as she has to keep herself and the fetus growing internally healthy. If a mother is unvigilant during pregnancy and is not well nourished, it can lead to many severe abnormalities in the growing fetus. More specifically, a disorder that will be explored in this essay is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS); caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Since the alcohol is consumed in such a developing stage of the fetus, it can potentially cause many different complications in the unborn child. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome could easily be prevented with more awareness to the issue and its defining characteristics, how it affects the fetus during growth, and finally the long-term effects on the individual’s life. The science behind FAS will be explained in depth to grasp a thorough understanding of what it is and how it causes h...

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Riley, E.P., & Vorhees, C.V. (1986). Handbook of behavioral teratology. New York: Plenum.

Ritchie, B. (2008). If it quacks like a duck. Retrieved from: http://www.faslink.org/index.htm. Ontario: Author

Sizer, F.S., Whitney, E., & Piche, L.A. (2012,2009) Nutrition Concepts and Controversies Second Canadian Edition. Toronto, Ontario: Nelson Education Ltd.

Streissguth, A.P., Barr, H.M., Kogan, J., & Bookstein, F.L. (1996). Understaning the occurrence of secondary disabilities in clients with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol effects (FAE): Final report to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Grant No. R04|CCR008515 (Tech. Report No. 96-06). Seattle: University of Washington, Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit.

Wilson, J.G., & Fraser, F.C. (Eds.). (1977). Handbook of teratology: Vol. 1. General principles, etiology. New York: Plenum.

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