...and Most Australian Prenatals Severely Underdose
When it comes to prenatals, folate gets talked about a lot, sometimes Iodine comes up and occasionally Vitamin D.
Choline almost never does, which is problematic because it's been sitting at the centre of some of the most compelling prenatal research of the last decade.
What choline actually does
The body can't make enough choline on its own, so it has to come from food or supplements. and during pregnancy your needs increase. The recommended intake goes up to 440mg a day, and higher again when breastfeeding.
What's interesting is that 440mg figure was set back in 2006. Since then, trials have come out showing meaningfully better outcomes at much higher intakes. A Cornell University RCT found that babies born to mothers taking 930mg daily had faster information processing speeds from 4 to 13 months than those whose mothers took 480mg.
Those same children were followed up at age 7. The differences in attention, working memory and executive function were still there.
A lot of researchers now think 440mg is conservative and yet the guidelines haven't caught up.
It matters before pregnancy too
Choline isn't only relevant once you're pregnant. Research has found it may support ovarian function and follicle development. In men, it plays a direct role in sperm motility and the ability of sperm to fertilise an egg. If you're trying to conceive, both of you have reason to pay attention to it.
Why most Australian women are deficient
Studies show only 23% of pregnant women in Australia are hitting the recommended daily intake. Only 2.6% were taking a prenatal that actually contained choline at all- and most women have no idea they aren't getting enough of this essential nutrient.
Why most prenatals get this wrong
Choline is a large molecule which means getting a meaningful dose into a standard capsule is difficult and most manufactures don't want to do it, so most brands don't bother trying. They either leave it out entirely or add 30 to 50mg, which does essentially nothing when you need 440mg minimum and the evidence points toward even higher intakes being better.
It ends up being one of those nutrients that looks covered on paper but isn't.
What to look for
Check your prenatal for choline bitartrate and look at the daily dose. You're aiming for 500mg or above to make a real contribution alongside what you're getting from food.
Food sources matter too. Two eggs give you around 290mg. Red meat, chicken and full fat dairy all contribute. For anyone eating plant-based, getting anywhere near the target through diet alone is very difficult.
We didn't just include choline in Nuri's Prenatal Support [Her]. We put in 600mg per day, the highest dose in any Australian prenatal.
This is general information only. Please speak with your GP or healthcare practitioner about your individual nutritional needs during pregnancy.