in the first trimester at least, it’s actually fetally produced acetaldehyde, not the mother’s, when exposed directly to ethanol. It’s thought that acetaldehyde competes with retinaldehyde for the enzyme RALDH2 which is critical for embryonic development in the first trimester.
As a developmental biologist, I’m glad you mentioned this, it’s a very important point that most people don’t know about. (Relatedly, I think the trend of putting retinoids in skin creams is rather risky!)
And I’m glad you are writing this, I’ve had a few friends say “actually a few drinks are fine, Oster says so” and I’ve had to correct them.
As a developmental biologist, I’m glad you mentioned this, it’s a very important point that most people don’t know about. (Relatedly, I think the trend of putting retinoids in skin creams is rather risky!)
And I’m glad you are writing this, I’ve had a few friends say “actually a few drinks are fine, Oster says so” and I’ve had to correct them.