Choline is an essential nutrient in pregnancy. Like folate, choline supports fetal brain development. Despite how important the nutrient is during pregnancy, over 95% of pregnant women are not getting enough choline from food alone.* (1)

As more and more experts shout choline’s importance from the rooftops, researchers have been busy trying to figure out the ideal daily dosage for pregnancy. (2) The “Adequate Intake” amount of choline is 450 mg a day in pregnancy and 550 mg a day during lactation. But average choline intake falls far below “adequate intake” for many pregnant and lactating women and people. (1)

In addition to supporting fetal neurodevelopment, choline supplementation in pregnancy helps support*:

• Information processing speed in infancy.*

• Cognitive function and sustained attention in early childhood.*

What’s more? Choline is also delivered from birthing person to baby via breast milk.

Below we break down how much choline is recommended during pregnancy and how to get enough of it with a few choline-rich food combinations.

How Much Choline Intake Has Been Studied During Pregnancy?

Dr. Marie Caudill, a leading choline researcher, has conducted many studies to understand the how, the what, and the when of maternal choline intake. In 2018, Dr. Caudill published the results of a randomized, double-blind, controlled study (AKA the “gold standard”). (3)

Based on Dr. Caudill’s findings, 930 mg of choline through food and supplementation was shown to support long-term cognitive benefits for baby’s brain health when taken during pregnancy.* (3)

The clinically-studied dose, as it turns out, is a lot more than most can get from what they eat. According to recent groundbreaking research out of Cornell, 930 mg of maternal choline intake is the amount that has been shown to support long-term cognitive benefits for baby's brain health when taken during pregnancy.* (3)

Here’s How to Get More Choline During Pregnancy

Choline can be found in animal-based products like fish, poultry, meat, dairy products, and eggs. Some choline-rich foods include: (1)
• Beef liver (3oz: 356 mg)
• Hard-boiled egg (1 egg: 147 mg)
• Beef top round (3oz: 117 mg)
• Soybeans (½ cup: 107 mg)
• Chicken breast (3oz: 72 mg)
• Atlantic codfish (3oz: 71 mg)

Need some inspiration for incorporating choline-rich foods into your daily menu? The following combinations, when paired with Ritual’s Natal Choline, can help support choline intake to reach the clinically-studied dose of 930 mg per day.:

Choline Chloride: A Clinically-Backed Form of Choline*

Choline Chloride is a clinically-backed form of maternal choline intake during pregnancy and lactation. It’s also what our Natal Choline is formulated with, which is the same form that is clinically-studied by Dr. Caudill.*

“Ritual does a great job infusing the latest scientific research into their pregnancy products,” Dr. Caudill says. “Natal Choline uses the same form and dose of Choline Chloride shown in my clinical study with Cornell to support baby’s cognitive function into infancy and early childhood when taken during pregnancy.”* (3)

Natal Choline is formulated with 550 mg of choline and is just one of three supplements we have designed for brain support for before and during pregnancy. Our Essential Prenatal Multivitamin is formulated with 55 mg of choline and our Essential Protein designed for Pregnancy & Postpartum includes 250 mg of choline to support increased nutrient demands during the pregnancy journey.*

References:

1. Office of Dietary Supplements. (2022). Fact Sheet for Health Professionals: Choline. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
2. Korsmo, H. W., Jiang, X., & Caudill, M. A. (2019). Choline: Exploring the Growing Science on Its Benefits for Moms and Babies. Nutrients, 11(8), 1823.
3. Caudill, M. A., et al. (2018). Maternal choline supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy improves infant information processing speed: a randomized, double-blind, controlled feeding study. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 32(4), 2172–2180.