Choline For smarter babies

Choline is an important nutrient for pregnant and breastfeeding women. It has been shown to influence the brain and spinal cord structure and lifelong memory function. Studies show that almost not many are familiar with the nutrient and its benefits.

What is choline?
Choline is an organic compound, classified as a water-soluble essential nutrient and usually grouped within the vitamin B complex. Although discovered in the late 18th century, choline was not recognized as a prime nutrient that is essential for human health until recently.

Benefits of choline: A snapshot

• Choline is needed for many of life’s most basic functions including normal functioning of all cells, liver metabolism and the transportation of nutrients throughout the body.
• Choline strengthens the cell membranes all over the body.
• It is a vital chemical component of the nerve messaging system.
• Research shows that women who consume higher amounts of dietary choline have a reduced risk of breast cancer.
• Higher intakes of dietary choline have been shown to be related to lower plasma Homocysteine levels. This is beneficial because elevated plasma Homocysteine is a known risk factor for Cardiovascular disease, Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
  

Choline during pregnancy and lactation
Choline is an especially important nutrient for pregnant and breastfeeding women as these are periods when maternal reserves of choline are depleted. Pregnancy is a time where the mother actively transports the nutrients to the Fetus.

Choline helps improve brain function and is the building block for a memory-forming brain chemical called acetylcholine. It also plays a crucial role in the development of your baby’s brain, where the growth is at its peak especially during the last Trimester. This brain-boosting nutrient during pregnancy can boost the cognitive function of both your baby and you.

Choline works with folate to help promote brain and memory development in growing fetuses and newborn infants.
Choline helps to reduce the risk of Neural tube defects (NTDs) that form very early in pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant.

As choline is part of all cells, it is necessary to support growth during infancy too; nursing mothers need more choline than pregnant women. So do not stop once your baby is born, especially if you are breastfeeding. Not only because you will need all the memory help you can get then, but because your baby's brain is growing at a fast rate even after birth.