Why Is Choline Important During Pregnancy And Why is it often overlooked?

Choline is a water-soluble nutrient, often grouped with the B-vitamins, that helps build your baby's cells and support brain and nervous-system development.¹ Yet most pregnant women, even those eating well and taking a prenatal, are not meeting recommended choline intakes.²

This guide walks you through what choline is, why it matters in pregnancy and how to get more from food and supplements.

What is choline and why does it matter in pregnancy?

Choline plays several important roles in the body. It helps build cell membranes, supports methylation (a process that helps regulate how genes function), and is needed to make neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, which are important for memory and muscle function.¹

During pregnancy, your need for choline increases because:

• It supports normal brain and spinal cord development, working alongside nutrients like folate.
• It contributes to the development of the hippocampus, a key area of the brain involved in memory and learning.
• It plays a role in placental function and helps support a healthy internal environment during pregnancy.

Research continues to build around choline's role in pregnancy, particularly in relation to baby's brain development and overall pregnancy outcomes. While it is not a single magic nutrient, it is increasingly recognised as an important piece of the puzzle.

Choline deficiency in pregnancy

Most pregnant women are not getting enough choline, even if they eat a generally healthy diet and take a prenatal supplement.⁵ Estimates suggest that only around one in ten women meet recommended intakes.

Emerging research has linked higher maternal choline intake with improvements in aspects of infant development, including attention and early cognitive function. A 2026 cohort study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found associations between maternal dietary choline intake and infant intelligence scores.⁴ At the same time, higher choline status has been associated with a lower risk of certain adverse pregnancy outcomes.⁶

While these findings do not mean choline is a cure-all, they do highlight an important gap: choline is essential, yet often overlooked or under-represented in prenatal nutrition.

Food sources of choline in pregnancy

Choline is found in a range of foods, with particularly rich sources including:

• Eggs (especially the yolk)
• Meat and poultry
• Fish and seafood
• Dairy products including milk, yoghurt and cheese
• Plant foods such as soybeans, beans, quinoa, cruciferous vegetables, nuts and seeds

Approximate choline content in common foods

• 2 large eggs: approximately 250 to 300mg choline
• 85g beef or chicken: approximately 60 to 90mg choline
• 120g salmon: approximately 60 to 90mg choline
• 240ml milk: approximately 40mg choline
• 100g tofu or soybeans: approximately 60 to 100mg choline
• Half a cup of cooked broccoli: approximately 30 to 35mg choline

Current recommendations for pregnancy are around 400 to 450mg per day, although some experts suggest that higher intakes may offer additional benefits.³

Barriers in real life

Real pregnancy is not always straightforward. Nausea, food aversions particularly to eggs and meat, and dietary preferences such as vegetarian or vegan diets can all make it harder to reach optimal choline intake.

While plant foods do contain choline, it is generally more difficult to meet requirements without including animal sources, which is where a dedicated supplement can be useful.

Supplements: how to think about choline in pregnancy

Most standard prenatal multivitamins still contain little or no choline. When reviewing a supplement, it is worth checking both whether choline is included and whether the amount is meaningful.

Because choline is a bulky nutrient, it is difficult to include higher doses in a single capsule. As a result, some formulations provide a small supportive amount, while others are designed as a standalone supplement to sit alongside your prenatal multivitamin.

Safety note: any supplement changes during pregnancy should be discussed with your midwife, GP, obstetrician or relevant healthcare practitioner before starting.

Zita West Choline

400mg of choline bitartrate per serving, formulated to be used alongside the Vital Essence range from trimester 1 through to 3 and during the postnatal period alongside Revital Essence. 60 capsules providing a one month supply. Third-party tested for quality and purity.

Shop Zita West Choline

Complementary nutrients

Choline works best alongside other key nutrients during pregnancy:

• Folate: Supports neural tube development and works closely with choline in methylation processes. Choline and folate are not interchangeable but complement each other within the same pathways.
• B-vitamins (B12, B6): Help support the related metabolic and methylation pathways that choline and folate both feed into.
• DHA Omega-3: Contributes to normal brain and eye development. Alongside choline, DHA is one of the most important nutrients for fetal neurological development.

If you are unsure how choline fits alongside your current pregnancy supplements, a free 1:1 fertility product consultation with the Zita West team can help you build a plan suited to your stage of pregnancy.

FAQ

Is choline really necessary in pregnancy if I am already taking folic acid?

Folic acid is essential, but choline supports additional aspects of brain and nervous-system development. They work best together rather than as alternatives. Most prenatal supplements do not provide sufficient choline, which is why a dedicated supplement may be worth considering alongside your prenatal multivitamin.

How much choline do I need in pregnancy?

Baseline recommendations are around 400mg per day during pregnancy, with some research suggesting that higher combined intakes from diet and supplements may offer additional benefits for infant cognitive development. Zita West Choline provides 400mg per serving as a complement to your dietary intake.

Can I get enough choline from food if I do not eat eggs or meat?

It is more challenging but possible with careful planning using foods like soybeans, beans and cruciferous vegetables. A dedicated supplement is particularly useful for women following plant-based or egg-free diets during pregnancy.

Which Zita West supplements contain choline?

Zita West Choline is available as a standalone supplement formulated to be used alongside the Vital Essence range throughout pregnancy and the postnatal period with Revital Essence.

When should I start taking choline in pregnancy?

Ideally from the start of pregnancy or even before conception, as choline supports early cell division and placental development from the earliest weeks. If you are already pregnant and have not been taking choline, it is not too late to start — continuing through pregnancy and into the postnatal period is supported by the evidence.

References

1. Institute of Medicine (US). 1998. Dietary Reference Intakes for Choline. National Academies Press.
2. Zeisel SH, da Costa KA. 2009. Choline: an essential nutrient for public health. Nutr Rev. 67(11):615-623.
3. Wiedeman AM et al. 2022. Maternal choline, fetal brain development, and child neurocognition. Adv Nutr. 13(6):2341-2364.
4. Xu Y et al. 2026. Maternal dietary choline intake during pregnancy and infant intelligence and neurobehavioral development: a prospective cohort study. Eur J Nutr. 65:23. doi.org/10.1007/s00394-025-03880-x
5. Nguyen HT et al. 2025. Choline in pregnant women: a systematic review. Nutr Rev. 83(2):e273-e288.
6. Caudill MA et al. 2018. Maternal choline improves infant information processing speed. FASEB J. 32(4):2172-2180.
7. Jaiswal A, Dewani DKC, Reddy LS, Patel A. 2023. Choline Supplementation in Pregnancy: Current Evidence and Implications. Cureus. 15(11):e48538.
8. UK Department of Health and Social Care. 2021. Vitamins and minerals in pregnancy.

External references: NHS: Vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy  |  EFSA: Dietary Reference Values for choline

This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or replace medical advice. Always consult your midwife, GP or healthcare provider before starting or changing any supplement during pregnancy.