Compound or practice · Supplement
Choline
An essential nutrient most people under-eat — critical in pregnancy for fetal brain development.
- Overall grade
- Grade B
- Last revised
- 3
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
2 at grade B · 2 at grade C — 4 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- Fetal brain development (pregnancy)Evidence grade B
Adequacy matters
Moderatemixed
- Cognition (replete adults)Evidence grade C
Weak
Smalllow
- Liver fatEvidence grade C
Deficiency raises risk
Smallmixed
Conditions
How the entry reads its effect on diagnosed conditions: the direction first, then the grade. Never a substitute for the person who treats you.
- Pregnancy (fetal development) ImprovesEvidence grade BAdequacyGrade B
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Thin evidence: Cognition (replete adults) (grade C); Liver fat (grade C).
- Studies disagree: Fetal brain development (pregnancy) (mixed agreement).
The evidence in words
What it is
Choline is an essential nutrient (vitamin-like) for cell membranes, the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and methylation. Most diets fall short of the adequate intake.
How it works
It builds phosphatidylcholine and acetylcholine and donates methyl groups; the liver and brain are especially choline-dependent.
What the evidence shows
Adequacy matters most in pregnancy, where higher choline supports fetal brain development and may aid offspring cognition — an under-appreciated prenatal nutrient. General cognitive-enhancement claims in replete adults are weak; it also affects fatty-liver risk.
How to use it
Meet the adequate intake (~425–550 mg/day) from eggs, meat, and soy; prenatal supplementation is often inadequate in choline.
Safety & interactions
High doses cause fishy odor and GI effects; very high intakes may raise TMAO.
Bottom line
An overlooked essential — prioritize adequacy, especially in pregnancy. Eggs are the easiest source; most prenatals skimp on it.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Adequacy
- 425–550 mg/day; more in pregnancy.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Choline for Cognition (replete adults)Evidence grade C — WeakEvidence grade C
- Choline for Fetal brain development (pregnancy)Evidence grade B — Adequacy mattersEvidence grade B
- Choline for Liver fatEvidence grade C — Deficiency raises riskEvidence grade C
- Choline for Pregnancy (fetal development)Evidence grade B — AdequacyEvidence grade B
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.