When pregnant women consume significant amounts of foods containing choline during pregnancy, their child has lasting cognitive benefits with improved IQ.
Choline, a nutrient found in egg yolks, lean red meat, fish, poultry, legumes, nuts, and cruciferous vegetables, has many benefits. But a new study has focused on its role in prenatal brain development and infant intelligence quotient. This is what emerges from a study published in the FASEB journal
Better IQ for the baby
The researchers used a diet that was rigorously analyzed in 26 pregnant women to show cognitive benefits in children of pregnant women.
It appears that those who consumed nearly twice the currently recommended amount of choline (930 mg per day of choline) daily have babies whose intellectual capacity to process information is faster than those whose mothers consumed 480 mg per day. day of choline during pregnancy, intakes slightly higher than those currently recommended.
Increased choline needs during pregnancy
The finding is significant because choline needs are increased during pregnancy, but most women consume less than the recommended 450 milligrams per day.
This is due to current dietary trends and practices. There are a lot of foods high in choline that get a bad rap. Eggs, for example, are high in cholesterol, and health professionals regularly warn pregnant women who consume undercooked eggs.
Increase foods high in choline
Although the study is performed on a small sample, it suggests that current recommendations for daily intake of foods high in choline may not be sufficient for infants with optimal intellectual capacities.
Current recommendations for choline intake are based on the amounts required to prevent liver dysfunction. They have been extrapolated from studies in men because no studies have examined the necessary needs during pregnancy.
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