You have started reading up on pregnancy.
And suddenly there are so many pieces of advice.
Folic acid.
Iron.
Vitamin D.
Maybe you even have a little list on your phone of things you try to remember every day.
But there is one nutrient that rarely comes up in the same conversation, even though research on it has grown rapidly in recent years.
Choline.
It is a nutrient the body uses when the brain and nervous system develop.
At the same time, studies show that many pregnant women consume less than recommended.
A nutrient rarely mentioned in pregnancy advice
When studying choline during pregnancy, it often concerns how the nutrient participates in the development of the brain and nervous system.
At the same time, surveys from several countries show that intake often falls below recommended levels.
Interest in choline during pregnancy has therefore increased in recent years.
Choline is therefore sometimes described as one of the more underrated nutrients in the diet.
What choline actually does in the body
Choline is a nutrient the body uses in several fundamental functions.
Among other things, it is needed to form:
- acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter used in the nervous system
- phospholipids that build cell membranes
- substances that help the liver transport fat
This means choline is involved in several fundamental functions in the body, including the nervous system and how the liver handles fat.
The body can produce small amounts of choline itself, but not enough to meet the need.
That’s why we need to get choline from food.
Did you know?
Choline was classified as an essential nutrient only in 1998.
This means that research on choline is still relatively young compared to many other vitamins and minerals.
Why the need increases when a new nervous system develops
During pregnancy, an entirely new brain is built.
The fetus’s nervous system develops rapidly, especially during the first months. Large amounts of building blocks are needed for new cells, nerve pathways, and signaling systems.
Here choline plays several roles.
It is needed, among other things, for:
- the development of the brain’s structure
- the formation of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
- cell division and DNA synthesis
Choline also participates in something called epigenetic programming.
It sounds complex, but it’s really about how the body uses its genes.
All humans have the same basic DNA in their body’s cells. But not all genes are active all the time. Some are used more, others less.
During fetal development, an enormous amount of such fine-tuning takes place.
Nutrients like choline participate in processes that help the body regulate how genes are used when organs, the brain, and the nervous system develop.
Research in the field suggests that these processes may affect how different systems in the body function later in life.
That is one reason why interest in choline during pregnancy has increased.
Did you know?
The baby's brain begins to develop very early in pregnancy. The foundation for the brain and spinal cord is formed already during the first weeks.
That is one reason why nutritional status before and early in pregnancy can play a big role.
How much choline is needed during pregnancy?
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends an intake of about 480 mg choline per day during pregnancy.
And here comes a number that often makes many raise their eyebrows a bit.
One egg contains about 140–150 mg of choline.
That means you would need to eat about four eggs a day to meet the recommendation solely through eggs.
Four eggs a day might not sound like much.
But most of us don’t eat that many eggs every day.
And especially not every day, week after week.
Eating one egg for breakfast provides about 30 percent of the daily requirement. The rest then needs to come from other foods.
That is one reason why many pregnant women have lower levels than recommended.
Did you know?
Eggs are one of the most concentrated natural sources of choline.
Most of the choline is found in the egg yolk, not the white.
The main dietary sources of choline
The richest sources of choline are:
- egg yolks
- liver
- meat and fish
- legumes
- broccoli and cauliflower
Many pregnant women receive advice about foods that may need to be limited during pregnancy.
For example, raw fish, unpasteurized cheeses, or larger amounts of liver.
At the same time, several of the most choline-rich foods happen to be in that category. This means choline can sometimes be a nutrient you get a bit less of without really thinking about it.
Choline and folate work in the same biological system
Most pregnant women are familiar with folic acid.
Folic acid is the synthetic form of vitamin B9 often used in supplements and fortified foods.
In food, folate is the natural form of the vitamin. It is found in leafy greens, legumes, avocado, and liver, among other things.
Folate is also found in supplements, often in more biologically active forms that the body can use more easily.
What many don’t know is that folate and choline work in the same biological system in the body.
Both participate in a process called methylation.
Methylation is one of the body’s most fundamental processes and is needed, among other things, to:
- build new DNA
- divide cells
- develop the nervous system
- regulate how genes are used during fetal development
During pregnancy, cell division happens at an extreme rate. Every new cell needs to copy its DNA correctly.
Here, folate and choline work together.
Simply put, folate helps the body build new DNA, while choline helps regulate how genes are used during development.
That’s why some choose to complement with supplements
A nutritious diet is always the foundation.
Foods like eggs, fish, meat, legumes, and vegetables provide both choline and folate.
But since levels in food vary, it can be difficult to reach recommended amounts every day, especially during pregnancy when the need is higher.
That’s why some choose to complement their diet with supplements.
A choline supplement can be a way to ensure a stable intake, especially if the diet does not include many choline-rich foods.
In the same way, many pregnant women choose to take folate in supplements to ensure sufficient intake during the period when the body is rapidly building new life.
So where does choline come into the picture?
When talking about nutrition during pregnancy, folic acid, iron, and vitamin D are almost always mentioned.
Choline often takes a back seat.
But when you look closer at the research, it becomes clear that choline is involved in several of the processes that are most active during pregnancy, not least in the development of the brain and nervous system.
At the same time, studies show that many women consume less choline than recommended.
If you are thinking about becoming pregnant, or already are, it may be worth looking at how your choline intake actually looks. Are you getting it from food, or is it included in the supplement you already take?
And otherwise, there are always eggs.
Four a day actually goes quite a long way.
Discover supplements with choline:
- Thorne Basic Prenatal
- MaryRuth's Liposomal Prenatal/Postnatal Multivitamin
- Glimja Multivitamin
- Holistic Femme Fertil
- Helhetshälsa Sunflower Lecithin
- Holistic Sunflower Lecithin
Sources
EFSA – Dietary Reference Values for Choline
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements – Choline Fact Sheet
Zeisel SH & da Costa KA. Choline: An Essential Nutrient for Public Health
