New treatment tested for children exposed to alcohol during pregnancy

What is it about?

This study tested a possible new treatment for children (ages 2-5) with brain damage from alcohol exposure during pregnancy. The treatment that was tested is a single nutrient, found in food, that was given in concentrated form. The treatment tested was choline, a nutrient found in eggs, meats, and other foods. The results are encouraging: we found that children who received choline for 9 months showed moderately better memory performance on one test than those who received placebo (no choline). Side effects were minimal. The study is important because there are no current biological treatments for children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. The study represents very early steps in process of developing new treatments for these children. Treatments are very much needed because prenatal alcohol exposure affects at least 2% of the population and is a worldwide public health problem.

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Why is it important?

This is the first study of its kind to investigate a biological treatment like choline in young children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).