CHOLINE

Choline is related to folate because the body can turn it into a compound called betaine that can be substituted for folate in certain chemical reactions. Perhaps for this reason, a low intake is associated with a four-fold increased risk of neural tube defects.⁵³

Choline has a much more direct role, however, in the development of the brain. It is especially important for the formation of cholinergic neurons (neurons that use the neurotransmitter acetylcholine), which takes place from day 56 of pregnancy through three months postpartum; and for the formation of the connections between these neurons, called synapses, which occurs at a high rate through the fourth year of life.⁵³

Rats fed three times the normal choline requirement during pregnancy give birth to offspring with remarkably resilient nervous systems. These offspring have a lifelong 30 percent increase in visuospatial and auditory memory; they grow old without developing any age-related senility; they are protected against the assaults of neurotoxins; they have an enhanced ability to focus on several things at once; and they have a much lower rate of interference memory. Interference memory is when a past memory interferes with an immediate memory—for example, when a past memory of where you parked your car interferes with your ability to find it when you exit the store.⁵³

The RDA for non-pregnant women is 425 milligrams (mg) per day. The RDA for pregnant women is 450 mg per day, only 25 mg more. The increase is based on the typical transfer of choline to and accumulation in the fetus.⁵⁴ Rat studies, however, suggest that an amount two to three times this may provide the offspring with lasting benefits. Choline can be obtained from liver, egg yolks, and high-quality grass-fed dairy; it can be obtained to a lesser extent from meats, crucifers, nuts, and legumes (see Figure 6 and Figure 7).