Neonatal vitamin K might reduce vulnerability to alcohol dependence in Danish men.
J Stud Alcohol
; 66(5): 586-92, 2005 Sep.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16331844
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Levels of oxidative defenses and blood-clotting factors are normally reduced in newborns, increasing the risk of injury to developing brain structures around the time of birth. This early neonatal vulnerability corresponds to a timeframe in which the development of reward-related limbic structures is particularly active. Taking advantage of a serendipitous event in the history of treating newborns, we tested the hypothesis that vitamin K supplementation, administered to facilitate the synthesis of blood-clotting proteins within this critical timeframe, might also reduce the development of alcohol dependence later in life.METHOD:
Subjects were approximately full-term male infants, selected from a large Danish birth cohort. Two thirds of the original 330 subjects in this study were high-risk sons of alcoholic fathers; 241 of the total completed the 30-year follow-up. Of subjects reported on for this article (N = 238), 44 received vitamin K supplementation at birth; 161 were considered high risk, and 66 were categorized as having lower birth weight (<6 lbs). A comprehensive series of measures was obtained on each subject before, during and shortly after birth as well as at 1 year of age. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, Revised, diagnosis of alcohol dependence and a measure of lifetime problem drinking served as the 30-year outcome variables.RESULTS:
Vitamin K treatment, inherited risk and low birth weight each independently predicted alcohol dependence and problem drinking at age 30. Vitamin K treatment was associated with significantly lower rates of alcohol dependence and fewer symptoms of problem drinking.CONCLUSIONS:
Vitamin K treatment at birth might protect against the development of alcoholism in adults by reducing early postnatal hemorrhage and oxidative brain damage.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Vitamina K
/
Fatores de Coagulação Sanguínea
/
Alcoolismo
/
Doenças do Recém-Nascido
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
/
Guideline
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Child
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Child, preschool
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Humans
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Infant
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Male
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Newborn
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2005
Tipo de documento:
Article