Boosting the maternal intake of choline may provide a boost to a pregnant mother’s DHA status, even when no additional DHA is consumed, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Essentially, the study found that a woman consuming a fixed amount of supplemental DHA would have greater DHA status should they consume a greater amount of choline.
 
In the present study, a team of researchers at Cornell University led by Kevin Klatt sought to determine the impact of choline supplementation on DHA status during pregnancy. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid which accumulates in the brain and eyes, which is evidenced to play a critical role in an infant’s development and through the lifespan. These findings follow previous clinical research published earlier this year which demonstrated significant and enduring cognitive benefits to children born of mothers who consumed double the amount of choline during pregnancy.
 
In both of these clinical trials conducted by the team of Cornell researchers, VitaCholine from Balchem was used. The findings of the present study were particularly consequential, because this is the first time that elevated maternal DHA status was driven solely by increasing maternal choline intake.
 
“Choline and DHA work together to support a baby’s brain and eye development, and that’s why we’re excited to see this new data showing that a combination of VitaCholine and DHA results in superior DHA status in expectant mothers – far better than supplementing with DHA alone,” Tom Druke, marketing director of VitaCholine, said.
 
In this study, 30 pregnant participants were recruited during the second trimester of their pregnancies. All participants were given 200 mg/day DHA. They were randomized to receive either 25 or 550 mg/day of supplemental choline, with maternal blood draws taken regularly until delivery, at which point, markers of DHA status in umbilical cord blood were assessed.
 
For the group of mothers receiving 550 mg choline during their pregnancy, the mean increase in PC-DHA was 32%, along with a 38% increase in total red blood cell DHA. The low-dose choline group saw just an 8% decrease in PC-DHA, along with an 11% increase in total red blood cell DHA.
 
“Prenatal choline supplementation improves hepatic DHA export and biomarkers of DHA status by bolstering methyl group supply for PEMT activity among pregnant participants consuming supplemental DHA,” the authors of the study concluded.
 
Recommended intake of choline increases during pregnancy, and the adequate intake of this nutrient is evidenced to support the growth and development of a child’s brain and spinal cord. As a building block of phosphatidylcholine, it aids in the transport of lipids such as DHA to various tissues throughout the body, which, in pregnant women, includes the placenta.
 
Based on the synergistic interaction observed in this study, “existing clinical trials of prenatal DHA supplementation likely achieved non-maximal status, resulting from a limited methyl donor supply,” the authors noted.
 
“Earlier we saw the positive impact of higher maternal VitaCholine intakes on cognitive processing speeds during infancy and the subsequent improvements to focus and sustained attention in the same kids at the age of seven. Now, this new research highlights a dual role for choline in early life – boosting cognitive performance and increasing DHA uptake to support growing brains. This powerful pairing is critical to enhancing brain development in both the short and long-term,” said Shitij Chabba, vice president of minerals and nutrients, and human nutrition and health marketing at Balchem, the supplier of VitaCholine.
 
“The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have all highlighted the importance of choline during pregnancy and throughout early childhood in supporting neurological development,” Druke said. “Unfortunately, fewer than 10% of women of childbearing age in the United States are getting even the recommended amount of choline in their diets,” he noted, citing a study of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2009-2014 datasets. “These most recent data provide yet another compelling piece of evidence, demonstrating choline’s importance for expecting mothers and their children.”