Choline: The Pregnancy Nutrient You Didn’t Know You Needed
You may have heard about the importance of folate during pregnancy, how drinking more water is essential, and getting enough protein is key, but there’s a good chance you’ve never heard mention of the nutrient choline.
Choline is a newer nutrient on the scientific scene and because of that it is often less talked about. Despite its lower publicity, it is starting to gain more traction as research continues to demonstrate its vital importance. Not only is it incredibly important for both your health and the health of your future baby, it is widely under-consumed and without a little bit of thought, would be easy to miss out on.
In this blog post, we are going to dive into everything you need to know about choline - what it is, why it’s important, top food sources, and considerations regarding the use of supplements.
TL;DR - Choline is an essential nutrient. Women who are pregnant need at least 450 mg/day and lactating women need at least 550 mg/day. Eggs and lean meats are great sources as well as supplements if needed.
What is Choline?
Choline is a unique essential nutrient that isn’t quite a vitamin and isn’t quite a mineral. Choline is a nutrient that is often grouped with the B vitamins due to its similar properties. It was only recently given an intake recommendation and acknowledged as an essential nutrient in 1998, which is relatively new in the world of science and nutrition [1]. Despite its newer recognition, the research is continuing to reveal the important roles it plays in everyday life as well as pregnancy and lactation.
Essential Roles of Choline
Choline serves as a precursor for the production of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which plays a vital role in brain development, nervous system function, muscle control, and mood [1]. These roles can help with memory during pregnancy (hello, pregnancy brain), as well as support early development of the fetus brain. Choline is also involved in other important processes, such as the formation of cell membranes, DNA synthesis, and the regulation of gene expression [1].
Quick Note on Choline for Men
Choline isn’t only an important nutrient for women, pregnancy, and lactating individuals, but it plays an important role in men’s health as well. Due to its role in cell membrane formation, it may play an important role in synthesizing phospholipids for sperm motility. When trying to conceive it’s a great idea for men to work to meet their choline needs too!
How Much?
A small amount of choline can be produced in the liver but the amount is much lower than we need as humans [2]. Therefore, the official Adequate Intake (AI) amounts have been set as seen below [3].
Women (not pregnant or lactating): 425 mg/day
Pregnant Women: 450 mg/day
Lactating Women: 550 mg/day
Men: 550 mg/day
Circling back to the fact that choline is a newer nutrient to be given an official recommendation, these recommendations are best estimates. That being said, the scientific data is limited in support of these amounts and there isn’t really enough information to support every lifecycle need like pregnancy and lactation or even all the unique differences between sexes. Therefore, it’s important to know that needs are individual.
Additionally, newer studies are showing that needs during pregnancy and lactation could be much higher, as much as double the current AI [4]! Given this information, I like to use the AI amounts as a starting point, with higher intakes most likely showing benefits.
Under-Consumed Nutrient
Current estimates show that approximately 90-95% of pregnant women are not meeting the current AI and with studies beginning to demonstrate that benefits may be seen in amounts double that of the current AI, it’s safe to say choline intake has room for improvement [5].
Food Sources
I always recommend a food-first approach to getting in nutrients. This helps ensure the most natural form of the nutrient and often brings along other nutrients in the food that nature paired together for a reason. Here are some top food sources of choline you can start incorporating today [6].
1 egg = 147 mg
3 oz beef liver = 356 mg
1/2 cup soybeans = 107 mg
3 oz lean beef = 72 mg
3 oz chicken breast = 72 mg
1 cup 1% milk = 43 mg
1 large red potato = 57 mg
Supplements
While food sources should ideally be the primary source of choline during pregnancy, sometimes that just isn’t possible. It can be challenging to meet the recommendations if you don’t consume animal products or if you are experiencing aversions to foods high in choline. In this case, choline supplements can be great to help bridge the gap between intake and needs.
Most prenatal don’t contain choline because it is a big nutrient and would increase the size or number of pills required to take. Therefore, it’s important to check if your prenatal contains choline, and if not, look to either switch prenatal or buy a stand-alone choline supplement if you determine supplementation is needed. The brand I personally use and love is FullWell (no affiliation). Their prenatal contains 300 mg of choline which combined with food sources can help meet the increased demands during pregnancy and lactation.
Remember, supplement needs are unique for each individual and you should always discuss your personal needs with your dietitian and/or doctor before changing or adding anything.
Takeaway
Choline is an essential nutrient that plays a critical role in supporting the health and development of both mom and baby during pregnancy as well as during lactation. Needs increase during this time so focusing on choline-rich foods and supplementing if needed can make a big difference in getting everything you need.
References
Zeisel SH, Corbin KD. Choline. In: Erdman JW, Macdonald IA, Zeisel SH, eds. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 10th ed. Wiley-Blackwell; 2012:405-18.
Zeisel SH. Choline. In: Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, Tucker KL, Ziegler TR, eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 11th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2014:416-26.
Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. National Academy Press; 1998. doi: 10.17226/6015
Korsmo HW, Jiang X, Caudill MA. Choline: Exploring the growing science on its benefits for moms and babies. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1823. doi: 10.3390/nu11081823
Brunst KJ, Wright RO, DiGioia K, Enlow MB, Fernandez H, Wright RJ, et al. Racial/ethnic and sociodemographic factors associated with micronutrient intakes and inadequacies among pregnant women in an urban US population. Public Health Nutr. 2014;17:1960-70. doi: 10.1017/S1368980013003224
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Remember: This post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.
