Maternal choline supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy improves infant information processing speed: a randomized, double-blind, controlled feeding study.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Randomized, double-blind, controlled feeding trial in humans
PubMed 29217669 · doi:10.1096/fj.201700692RR
What was done
Pregnant women entering their third trimester were randomized in a double-blind controlled feeding study to consume either 480 mg choline/day (n = 13) or 930 mg choline/day (n = 13) until delivery, with intake of choline and other nutrients tightly controlled. Infant information processing speed and visuospatial memory were tested longitudinally at 4, 7, 10, and 13 months of age in 24 infants.
What was found
Mean reaction time averaged across the four infant testing ages was significantly faster in infants born to mothers in the 930 mg/day group compared to the 480 mg/day group. In the 480 mg/day group, longer exposure duration showed a significant linear association with faster infant reaction times. The abstract provides no exact numerical values, effect sizes, p-values, or visuospatial memory outcomes.
Why it matters
This study provides randomized controlled evidence that maternal choline intake above standard recommended levels during late pregnancy can enhance infant processing speed.
Limits
The sample size is very small (n = 24 infants evaluated). The abstract omits numerical values, variance measures, and visuospatial memory results. Supplementation was limited to the third trimester, leaving earlier pregnancy windows and longer-term childhood outcomes unmeasured.