LIFESTYLE
Why we love Choline AND YOU SHOULD TOO!! Co written by founders: • Katina Thomas – Senior Cognitive behavioural psychotherapist /Psychologist – Purervita • Dr Karen Joash – Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, MSc BSc MBBS MRCOG • Dr Unice Nartey – Consultant Paediatrician BSc MBchB MRPCH
You’re probably thinking, what is Choline? You would be joining many others, as it’s a relatively new supplement but a crucial one. Choline was discovered in 1862; it took another 136 years to understand its unique properties. It was recognised as an essential nutrient in 1998, meaning you have to take it in your diet as your body can’t make it. It is also known as a ‘brain building’ nutrient. Just as we eventually realised that many of us are deficient in vitamin D, science has shown the same for choline. In fact, between 50-75% of the population are deficient in this critical nutrient!!!
WHY IS CHOLINE DEFICIENCY SO BAD? Choline has essential functions at different stages of life such as pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is also important in the formation of a healthy placenta. The placenta absorbs choline as a vital building block and transfers it to the rapidly growing baby. It is important during development in the womb as it is an essential part of the brain and spinal cord structure. It is associated with higher scores in memory function, brain processing speeds and lowers the risk of spinal cord defects.
40 l MAY/JUNE 2022 l
project-baby.co.uk
Several decades of research have shown that adding extra choline to the maternal diet produces long-term cognitive benefits for the baby. The American Medical Association published new advice to pregnant mothers to take extra choline supplementation and this was agreed by The European Food Safety Authority who established recommended values. They recognised more needs to be done to educate women and also health care processionals about the importance of a choline rich diet and supplementation. In addition to improving your offspring's attention and memory throughout life, maternal choline supplementation has proven to be protect the brain of babies in the womb from prenatal stress, infections, prematurity and fetal alcohol exposure. It also improves brain processing speeds and function in conditions such as autism, epilepsy, Down’s syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease; The list goes on!!!
