A team of scientists from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam has identified the effects of alcohol consumed before and during pregnancy on the shape of the face of unborn children. The results of the work were published in the journal Human Reproduction.

To do this, the authors used an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and deep learning technology, which loaded information on the amount of alcohol drunk by women, both three months before pregnancy (but stopped during the onset) and after bearing a child, as well as changes shapes of children's faces in 3D images.

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A total of 3,149 children aged nine and 2,477 children aged 13 were used. All the participants were part of the Generation R study in the Netherlands, which looked at changes in the lives of test subjects from prenatal development.

Computer simulations have shown that there is indeed a connection between alcohol and a change in the shape of the face. And even if the mothers drank less than 12 grams of alcohol per week, which is equivalent to a small glass of wine with a volume of 175 milliliters or 330 milliliters of beer.

The researchers note that their discovery may indicate certain disorders, since the face is a "mirror of health", that is, it reflects the general condition of the child's body.

In addition, if the mother regularly took large doses of alcohol, adverse effects could lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which is also reflected in the faces of children. These patients present with growth retardation, neurologic deficits, and abnormal facial development. Doctors also diagnose cognitive impairment, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning difficulties, memory difficulties, behavioral abnormalities, speech delay.