Are you getting enough choline? But are you really getting enough choline? This essential nutrient is finally starting to get the attention it deserves for its long-lasting effects on children’s cognitive functioning. Still, research shows that 90% of all pregnant women and their babies could benefit from consuming more of it.
A series of studies conducted by Cornell University researchers followed the babies of women who consumed 930 milligrams—more than double the recommended amount—of choline during pregnancy. These babies showed improved information processing speed at 4, 7, 10, and 13 months of age compared with babies of mothers who consumed 480 milligrams. When these same children were tested again at age 7, they had better sustained attention.
It’s rare to see scientific findings with such robust, positive results you can benefit from with just a small tweak to your routine.
How to boost your choline intake
Choline is one of the few nutrients that’s hard to get enough of through a healthy diet. Natural sources of choline include eggs, liver, beef, cod, poultry, legumes, nuts, and cauliflower. But without intentionally crafting your diet around it, it’s tricky to get even the minimum recommended amount of 450 milligrams during pregnancy.
Many prenatal vitamins only contain a fraction of what pregnant women need. But choline is readily available in an inexpensive supplement taken alongside your prenatal. If your prenatal doesn’t have at least 300 milligrams, consider purchasing a separate choline supplement.
If this is the first you’re hearing about choline and you think you didn’t get enough during a previous pregnancy, studies suggest young children may benefit from choline consumption as well. Eggs are a great source for children, and if you’re still breastfeeding, consider taking a choline supplement yourself. Choline is naturally found in breastmilk.
To learn more about how choline impacts babies, breastfeeding mothers, and children, check out this podcast where host Lovevery CEO Jessica Rolph interviews the authors of the Cornell research studies, Dr. Barbara Strupp and Dr. Richard Canfield.
Lovevery will donate to Every Mother Counts any commissions it receives through affiliate links in this post.
Learn more about the research
Bahnfleth, C. L., Strupp, B. J., Caudill, M. A., & Canfield, R. L. (2022). Prenatal choline supplementation improves child sustained attention: A 7-year follow-up of a randomized controlled feeding trial. The FASEB Journal, 36(1), e22054.
Caudill, M. A., Strupp, B. J., Muscalu, L., Nevins, J. E., & Canfield, R. L. (2018). Maternal choline supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy improves infant information processing speed: a randomized, double-blind, controlled feeding study. The FASEB Journal, 32(4), 2172-2180.
Institute of Medicine (US) Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes and its Panel on Folate, Other B Vitamins, and Choline. (1998). Chapter 12: Choline. In Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline (pp. 390-422). Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US).
Korsmo, H. W., Jiang, X., & Caudill, M. A. (2019). Choline: exploring the growing science on its benefits for moms and babies. Nutrients, 11(8), 1823.
Wallace, T. C., Blusztajn, J. K., Caudill, M. A., Klatt, K. C., Natker, E., Zeisel, S. H., & Zelman, K. M. (2018). Choline: the underconsumed and underappreciated essential nutrient. Nutrition Today, 53(6), 240-253.
Wallace, T. C., & Fulgoni, V. L. (2017). Usual choline intakes are associated with egg and protein food consumption in the United States. Nutrients, 9(8), 839.
Wu, B. T., Dyer, R. A., King, D. J., Richardson, K. J., & Innis, S. M. (2012). Early second trimester maternal plasma choline and betaine are related to measures of early cognitive development in term infants. PLoS ONE, 7(8), e43448.
Zeisel, S. H. (2006). Choline: critical role during fetal development and dietary requirements in adults. Annual Review of Nutrition, 26, 229-250.
Posted in: Prenatal, First trimester, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Diet, Parent & Family Life
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