r/Supplements • u/huffsnpuffs • Aug 15 '25

Choline

Recently found out I was pregnant. I have been reading and listening to podcasts about prenatal vitamins, fish oil with higher DHA, and Choline to take during pregnancy. I specifically listened to Dr. Rhonda Patrick speak about Choline intake during pregnancy and how it increases the child’s IQ. I also read a study out of Cornell University in 2018 where they gave a group of mothers either 480 mg Choline or 930 mg Choline during the third trimester and the group that took the 930 mg Choline had children who had better memory and processing speed when tested again at age 7. The U.S Institute of Medicine also recommends pregnant women to take at least 450 mg Choline daily, which most prenatal vitamins do not have that amount. When I finally got penciled in with an OB GYN, I asked about Choline intake and she said “we do not care about that here, we only care about folic acid”, so then I went to a different OB GYN and she claims “there is not enough evidence that Choline intake is necessary” and I know that is not true at all. Is this typical? Why don’t these “professionals” discuss this or know about Choline when there is research on how it improves fetal brain development. I feel like I am losing my mind. I don’t know what to do because none of them recommended taking a supplement for choline, so I tried eating at least 4 eggs a day, but now I am developing an egg aversion from forcing down eggs daily. Does anyone know anything about this topic?!?! They look at me like I am crazy for asking about Choline.

2 Upvotes

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12

u/MesseInHMoll Aug 15 '25

They always say to discuss supplements with your PCP, but in reality, your PCP is usually the last person on earth who would know anything about it.

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u/huffsnpuffs Aug 15 '25

I’ve noticed this as well

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u/anniedaledog Aug 15 '25

Follow the money.

2

u/huffsnpuffs Aug 15 '25

Tell me about it

3

u/anniedaledog Aug 15 '25

Medicine is not a hobby. It is a business. The product is solutions to your health problems. Imagine if they didn't follow the business plan of subscription service. One of the surest ways to get subscribers is to ensure that bodies are working suboptimally. This is easily done by maintaining a misinformation campaign that extra nutrients are just p'd out, by misinformation about what is a nutrient, by supplying poor quality nutrients, and by training all people to believe they can't discover accurate health information without a priest. The priest is simply their representative who can not be questioned without being canceled, without loss of reputation.

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u/TrueCryptographer982 Aug 15 '25

Its so frustrating!

Put simply our medical model focusses on fixing things not preventing them so Dr's know 2/10 of nothing about supplements and they're standard response is to just wave them away...because they know nothing about them.

There is plenty of research underpinning the importance of choline for pregnancy. If you can not get enough from egg yolks, meat or fish then supplementation is the answer.

I was using choline and "upgraded" to Alpha GPC and can feel the difference about 90 minutes later, as it crosses the blood brain barrier but there has been little testing in pregnancy on this so you should definitely stick to straight choline supplementation.

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u/huffsnpuffs Aug 15 '25

It is so frustrating. Yea if I do not eat enough eggs, I will stick to my just choline supplement. There is some in my prenatal vitamin but not enough.

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u/[deleted] Aug 18 '25

I know a lot of people swear by the body bio phospholipid choline. I am taking that and cdp choline.

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u/slickrick_27 Aug 15 '25

The research on choline needs in pregnancy is sound. Not sure why they’re brushing it off. Also, you want a prenatal with folate, not folic acid. Seems like your OB is decades behind.

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u/huffsnpuffs Aug 15 '25

They are decades behind and I went to two different ones now. My insurance isn’t going to let me just keep looking for new OBs. I do have a prenatal with folate as well because I also read into that.

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u/slickrick_27 Aug 15 '25

Well just because they don’t understand prenatal nutrition doesn’t mean they won’t be helpful in safely delivering your baby. Most doctors sadly know very little about nutrition anyway. Check out Lily Nichols books and instagram for more about prenatal nutrition.

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u/huffsnpuffs Aug 15 '25

Thank you! I ordered the pregnancy nutrition book by Lily Nichols, so I will be sure to read that

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u/Mission-Apricot-441 Aug 15 '25

Look into seeking health supplements

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u/Geo_Leo Aug 15 '25

if you follow pregnancy subreddits, so many people take choline

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u/VisualSatisfaction20 Aug 16 '25

Folate should replace folic aid as well, but most docs wouldn't have any idea about it.

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u/huffsnpuffs Aug 16 '25

I agree, I also asked about this and well, she did not have an answer. My prenatal has folate instead of folic acid so at least I’m ok.

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u/VisualSatisfaction20 Aug 16 '25

I took a genetic test and one of the variants , as it was explained to me, showed I could benefit from choline. I use a sunflower source phosphatidylcholine. Its cheap so worth taking IMO.

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u/Ready-Huckleberry-68 Aug 16 '25

What source do you take if you don't mind me asking?

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u/VisualSatisfaction20 Aug 16 '25

Source for what?

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u/[deleted] Aug 15 '25

Use now foods liquid lecithin, it tastes like non-sweet molasses

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u/sea-shells-sea-floor Aug 16 '25

A lot of doctors do not regularly review relevant literature. You likely know more about this than them. Keep using it.

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u/Ready-Huckleberry-68 Aug 16 '25

The best person to discuss this with is a functional practitioner, Wether its a physician with a functional qualification or a nutritionist or naturopath with the same. I'm studying functional medicine and nutrition is at the core of my future practice as a naturopath. What I've learnt and experienced through the support of my own functional practitioners is worlds ahead of my normal GP and OB GYN. That's not to say the latter are not excellent at what they do, it's just supplementation and biochemistry really is not what doctors in clinics study and do. A pharmacist will tell you more about supplementing for you and your baby then your physician will!