Supplement Spotlight: Choline
Here are five things to know about choline:
1) It’s found in foods so before you reach for a supplement, track your choline intake with what’s on your plate
2) Many prenatal supplements don’t have choline so flip it & check
3) It’s researched for preventing neural tube defects, preventing fatty liver disease (3) & improving the child’s cognition(2).
4) It is essential for fetal brain development & a well functioning placenta
5) 90-95% of pregnant people don’t receive Adequate Intake (AI)
Choline is needed for the synthesis of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter for 4M’s: mood, memory, muscle control, and mechanisms of the nervous system & the brain. The dosage during pregnancy to aim for is 450mg/day; the dosage if breastfeeding is 550mg. (1)
Here are ideas to layer in & add choline through diet:
-
1 egg yolk has 125mg of choline
-
1 heaping tablespoon of wheat germ (I like Bob’s Red Mill available at Whole Foods, etc.) has 15mg of choline
- 1 4oz can of mussels has ~37mg of choline. I measure this based off the dry weight (2.43g) (4)
- 1 big red potatoe with skin has 50mg of choline.
In addition to food, you can take choline in supplement form (remember they are called supplements to supplement your diet not rely on this form for 100% of intake) on its own or within many other vitamins & minerals in a prenatal supplement. And, if you’re reading this & you’re 28+ weeks along, please still consider layering it into your diet or supplements as third trimester intake can be influential, too.
Email if you have any questions.
Take care,
Allie Cuozzo, November 2024
Sources
(1) Choline Health Professional Fact Sheet
(2) Prenatal choline supplementation improves child sustained attention
(3) Choline Supplementation in Pregnancy
(4) Nutrivore Mussel Nutrients