Your body requires nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to create a healthy child. Before, during, and after pregnancy, your OBGYN (obstetrician-gynecologist) would most likely advise you to eat a well-balanced diet and take a prenatal vitamin daily—some of the most important things you can do for yourself and your unborn baby.
As a nutrient, choline is often ignored during pregnancy. Choline may be present in a variety of meals and prenatal supplements. We will provide you with the top 10 best choline supplements for pregnancy that will benefit both you and your baby.
What is a choline supplement
Choline is a nutrient essential for healthier function of various organs and systems in the body, such as the liver, muscles, brain, and central nervous system. Inadequate choline in the body may hamper one’s ability to function correctly. Hence, a choline supplement is needed to supply the adequate choline that the body requires to work correctly. This type of dietary supplement is often recommended for those not receiving enough choline in their bodies.
Moreover, this brain-building vitamin aids in the healthy development of your baby’s brain and spine, as well as the formation of brain chemicals. Choline intake throughout the third trimester has an impact on your baby’s long-term memory. Like folate, choline protects your growing baby from neural tube problems, cleft palate, and other birth disorders.
Furthermore, it affects DNA synthesis and aids in producing lipids that help compensate for cellular membranes. It is also known to aid in regulating memory, emotion, and cognitive function in the brain and neurological system, making it ideal for postpartum blues.
🤔 What is choline? 🤔
Also known as cobalamin, it’s a water-soluble nutrient involved in developing red blood cells and maintaining nerves and normal brain function.
What Is Choline? An Essential Nutrient With Many Benefits
Should you take a choline supplement while pregnant
Yes, it is critical to get adequate choline when pregnant. Lack of choline during pregnancy might result in birth defects, like hare lip, hypospadias, cleft lip, and heart abnormalities.
Furthermore, research revealed that youngsters whose birth parents consumed enough choline had improved attentiveness, memory, and problem-solving abilities. Choline is often insufficient in prenatal supplements. As a result, your healthcare professional may offer a choline supplement in addition to your prenatal vitamin.
🚫 Who should not take choline? 🚫
You should not use choline if you have bipolar disorder. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should talk to their healthcare providers before taking any supplements. There are no known interactions between choline and any food or medicine. People with low folate levels may need more choline.
Choline – Health Encyclopedia – URMC
When should a pregnant woman start taking choline
Preferably, pregnant women should begin choline supplementation before conception, along with folate supplements and in conjunction with a balanced diet. It should be started in early to midpart of the second trimester at the earliest to have the most effect.
How much choline can you take while pregnant
Experts advise 450 mg of choline for every trimester while pregnant and 550 mg when nursing. Your liver can create a limited quantity of choline, but not enough to fulfill the prenatal demands of your body. You’ll need to get most of it from your meals and a pregnancy vitamin.
💡 Medical fact 💡
Choline intake for pregnant women is currently advised at 450 mg per day. High quantities of choline are required for a healthy pregnancy, including the fetal neurological development and the prevention of birth abnormalities.
Can you take too much choline while pregnant
Choline is likely safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding at daily doses of up to 3 grams for individuals under 18 years and 3.5 grams for those 19 years and older. There is limited research determining the safety of taking larger doses of choline while pregnant or breastfeeding. It’s advisable to stick to the prescribed dosage.
🤷♀️ Did you know that… 🤷♀️
…Choline toxicity can lead to a fishy body odor, vomiting, and decreased blood pressure. Food sources and a modest amount in a prenatal vitamin are the best bets for moms-to-be.
What is the best time of day to take a choline supplement
Taking a choline supplement one hour before breakfast or lunch is highly recommended.
The following 10 best choline supplements for pregnancy are available in drug stores or online pharmacies:
- NOW Lecithin 1200mg Softgels
Lecithin, a frequently used dietary supplement, includes choline. As a result, additional choline probably gets ingested through nutritional supplements.
- Jarrow Formulas CDP Choline 250mg Caps
Citicoline is the best and most effective nootropic for improving overall cognitive performance. It is also referred to as CDP-choline, the most effective cholinergic for increasing brain acetylcholine levels. Moreover, citicoline has been shown to boost attention, memory, mental vigor, and processing speeds in hundreds of randomized experiments with human participants.
- Amazing Formulas Choline Bitartrate 650mg Tablets
Choline bitartrate is the least effective choline supplement to improve cognitive ability because of the higher minimum active dosage. Users often experience more minor effects than when taking Citicoline or Alpha-GPC, indicating that it is not a highly nutritious choline supplement.
- NOW Alpha GPC 300mg Capsules
Alpha-GPC, as Citicoline, is a highly bioavailable choline supplement. Consuming Alpha-GPC has been demonstrated in numerous medical studies to increase multiple aspects of cognitive function, including attention, learning, mental effort, and cognitive computing capabilities.
- Swanson Phosphatidylcholine 420mg Softgels
Supplementing with phosphatidylcholine throughout pregnancy raises maternal choline levels. It has been shown to improve fetal and kid behavior and growth.
- Country Life Betaine Hydrochloride 600mg Tablets
Only take betaine hydrochloride during pregnancy if the potential benefit surpasses the potential harm to the unborn baby. There have been no animal trials, and there have been no well-controlled research on pregnant people. Only if required can betaine hydrochloride be administered to a pregnant woman.
- Enfamil Expecta Prenatal Dietary Supplement
A food supplement is recommended for women and their children before conception, throughout pregnancy, and during breastfeeding. Enfamil Expecta provides 50% more vitamin D (600 IU) than the top competition (400 IU), ensuring you obtain the additional nutrition you need.
- DEVA Vegan Multivitamin & Mineral Supplement
This product is a complete prenatal supplement for all soon-to-be mothers, not only those who follow a vegan diet. It has the correct balance of vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients without delivering excessive quantities.
- Vitafusion Prenatal Gummies
These gummy vitamins are designed to help women meet their unique health demands before, during, and after delivery. Two gummies give you 100 % Folate, 50 mg Omega-3 DHA, and are high in vitamins D and A.
- Rainbow Light Prenatal One Multivitamin
This multivitamin provides adequate nutrition for bone health and high-potency vitamin D and zinc to help with immunological health. It contains a probiotic blend and enzyme and a natural rainbow superfood blend made from fruits and vegetables.
Are you an expecting mom? Let us know what are your thoughts on the comments section. Also, read about the effects of taking vitamins on an empty stomach here!