Our work, in the press
Study: Choline Can Boost Baby's Brain Health—If You're Getting Enough
“The researchers believe both studies prove that the recommended amount of choline for pregnancy needs to be higher than it currently is for fetal brain development. “Current recommendations for pregnant women were set in 1998 and are based on the amount of choline needed to prevent liver dysfunction in men, not on the more relevant outcome of offspring neurocognitive development,” Richard Canfield, the study’s co-senior author and a senior research associate in the Division of Nutritional Sciences (DNS), said in a press release. “By showing that the beneficial effects of prenatal supplementation endure into childhood, these findings illustrate a role for prenatal choline in programming the course of child cognitive development.”Keith Finley
Choline during pregnancy impacts children’s sustained attention
“Our findings suggest population-wide benefits of adding choline to a standard prenatal vitamin regimen,” said Barbara Strupp, professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences (DNS) and Department of Psychology, and co-senior author of the study, “Prenatal Choline Supplementation Improves Child Sustained Attention: A Seven-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Feeding Trial,” published Dec. 28 in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology”
More choline for mom decreases Down syndrome effects
“’Mounting evidence suggests that many women may not be consuming enough choline during pregnancy to promote optimal brain development and cognitive functioning of their babies – both normal and Down syndrome. Increasing choline intake during pregnancy is sound nutritional advice for all women and may offer an even more pronounced benefit for Down syndrome offspring,’ Strupp said.”
