Fischer, L.M., da Costa, K-A, Kwock, L., Galanko, J., Zeisel, S.H. (2010) Dietary choline requirements of women: effects of estrogen and genetic variation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 92(5):1113-19. PMCID: PMC2954445.
Fischer, L.M., daCosta, K-A, Galanko, J., Sha, W., Stephenson, B., Vick, J., Zeisel, S.H. (2010) Choline intake and genetic polymorphisms influence choline metabolite concentrations in human breast milk and plasma. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 92(2): 336-346. PMCID: PMC2904035.
December 12, 2018 – The importance of choline to brain development and function was first demonstrated in the 1980s, but because choline has multiple fates and functions within the body, the question of how choline levels specifically impacted neural development has remained unanswered. In research just published in The FASEB Journal, NRI director Steven Zeisel, MD PhD, and NRI assistant professor Natalia Surzenko, PhD, make a major contribution towards answering this question.
November 24, 2015 • From the desk of: David Horita, Ph.D.
THE STUDY
In a recently published paper1, NRI investigator Phil May and colleagues showed that the prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and partial fetal alcohol syndrome (PFAS) is two to three times higher than previously estimated.
Dr. May’s study differs from most FAS prevalence studies in its use of active case ascertainment testing methods to estimate prevalence. This technique includes developmental testing of the child and detailed one-on-one interviews of the mother. The interview questions covered alcohol use during pregnancy, but also asked questions related to secondary factors, such as overall drinking history, marital status; socioeconomic status, and diet/nutrition. This approach is much more labor-intensive than the more common survey approach that relies on self-reported alcohol use information. However, it is also more accurate: self-reported alcohol usage surveys often underestimate FAS because of the stigma of drinking during pregnancy.