Does anyone take a Choline supplement?

[IamnotwhouthinkIam]

I've been reading more and more abut how important Choline is for babies development - some doctors/researchers are even suggesting it could be as important as Folic Acid in the future .

I'm halfway through my 2nd trimester and thought I was okay for Choline because I eat a couple of eggs daily (or at least every other day) as well as meat/fish once a day - plus there is a very small amount in my Pre-Natal (60 mg) .

But the recommendations in the US say pregnant women need at least 450 mg a day and 550 mg if breastfeeding (the UK/NHS seems to be behind on this and makes no mention of it ). I've only just realised I'd likely have to eat a diet much higher in eggs, plus meat/fish to achieve this easily from food alone each day.

Do women here manage to get all their Choline from food sources or are you taking supplements? Thanks for any advice

I take a choline supplement but only 200mg per day. I’m vegan so there’s naturally less choline in my diet than someone who eats lots of eggs, but I don’t know anyone else who has taken a choline supplement (regardless of diet) and their babies all came out fine.

I was taking choline prior to, and at the start of my pregnancy. But only because it was a choline inositol supplement I was taking purely for the inositol part. Initially it was to get pregnant, but once I got the BFP, I continued until I finished up the bottle (a few weeks worth) and not taken any since. I'll need to read up a bit more before restarting it though.

Thanks very much for the help @VegMam and @Dyra .

Yeah, I suspect I'm worrying unnecessarily - like you said, other women sometimes don't eat many eggs or take a supplement to compensate (and as my mum pointed out, women years ago didn't know this stuff and their babies were just fine).

Plus I couldn't find any single choline supplements less than 350mg (only those mixed with Inositol), and I'm concerned 350 mg could be a bit much if I regularly get some from my Pre-natal/food too.

I already take the Pre-Natal, plus extra Vit D, Fish oil, Myo- inositol and NAC (the last two for PCOS), despite having a fairly balanced diet (if a touch heavy on the chocolate ). It's just when you read these pregnancy/fertility blogs after trying for a baby for long, it's so easy to get concerned!

Yes, been taking Choline since 1st trimester. Choline has been widely studied for a long time and a lot of its benefits are scientifically confirmed. I'm surprised it's not more talked about like folic acid / folate here in the UK. Some studies show further benefits of consuming 930mg per day (vs the recommended 450mg for pregnant ladies) so I won't worry too much about overdosing.

I'm not into meat and can only stomach max. one egg every other day so for me, supplementation is the only way I guess.

Interesting. I had never really heard of this. I expect I probably get a reasonable amount of this from my diet - as I have a reasonably varied diet but might look at a supplement too (none in my current supplements). Thanks OP!

Thanks for the replies @Ksyve and @Fleur405

Are you in the US Ksyve? The importance of Choline seems really well known/studied there, but rarely talked about here. I've also read that 930mg study too - although it's a very small sample group, the results were really interesting!

I think I get a fair amount of Choline from my food too Fleur - by the time I add up the 2 eggs, a portion of meat/fish, plus the much smaller amounts in veg/grains/dairy and my Pre-natal, it probably comes out to about the 450mg or a bit over. But eggs are so high in it compared to other foods that if I don't fancy them that particular day, I likely fall well short then.

I'm still trying to decide if it's worth adding a Choline supplement halfway through pregnancy now or to just force myself to always eat the eggs! As well as the extra expense when I'm already taking so many other supplements , it's also really hard to find one in the UK without all the unneeded fillers/binders (magnesium stearate and the like).