New York: Analysis of a newborn's first stool can alert doctors whether a child is at risk of problems with intelligence and reasoning, new research shows.
"We wanted to see if there was a connection between FAEE level and their cognitive development during childhood and adolescence — and there was," said one of the researchers Meeyoung Min, research assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University in the US.
"FAEE can serve as a marker for fetal alcohol exposure and developmental issues ahead," Min added.
"Detecting prenatal exposure to alcohol at birth could lead to early interventions that help reduce the effects later," Min said in the study published in the Journal of Paediatrics.
For this study, researchers analysed the meconium of 216 babies for levels of FAEE. They then gave intelligence tests at ages nine, 11 and 15.
The researchers found a link between those with high levels of FAEE at birth and lower IQ scores.
(IANS)