Pregnant & Nursing Moms Need Choline to Help Baby

Choline is a member of the vitamin B complex. It is found in Brewer's yeast, eggs cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, soybeans, lentils, liver, rice, and wheat germ. It plays an important role in the brain and central nervous system. According to Dean and Morgenthaler1 this nutrient stimulates mental energy, it is also a good speech enhancer and can improve memory. Choline protects against poor growth, it is also said to protect the liver from the accumulation of excess fatty deposits. It can be beneficial in the treatment of depression, diabetes, hypertension, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy.

More Choline for Pregnant, Nursing Women Could Reduce Down Syndrome Dysfunction, Guard Against Dementia

ScienceDaily (June 4, 2010) — More choline during pregnancy and nursing could provide lasting cognitive and emotional benefits to individuals with Down syndrome and protect against neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, suggests a new Cornell study of mice.
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The findings, published June 2 in Behavioral Neuroscience, could help lead to increasing the maternal dietary recommendations for choline (currently 450 milligrams a day during pregnancy, 550 milligrams for lactation), a nutrient found in egg yolks, liver, nuts and such vegetables as broccoli and cauliflower.

"We found that supplementing the maternal diet with additional choline resulted in dramatic improvements in attention and some normalization of emotion regulation in a mouse model of Down syndrome," said lead author Barbara Strupp, professor of nutritional sciences and of psychology.

The researchers also found evidence for "subtle, but statistically significant, improvement in learning ability in the non-Down syndrome littermates." In addition to mental retardation, Down syndrome individuals often experience dementia in middle age as a result of brain neuron atrophy similar to that suffered by people with Alzheimer's disease. Strupp noted that the improved mental abilities found in the Down syndrome mice following maternal choline supplements could indicate protection from such neurodegeneration "in the population at large."

Strupp and her co-authors tested Down syndrome model mice born from mothers fed a normal diet and those given choline supplements during their three-week pregnancy and three-week lactation period, as well as normal mice born from mothers with and without additional choline. The choline-supplemented mothers received approximately 4.5 times more choline (roughly comparable to levels at the higher range of human intake) than unsupplemented mothers.

At six months of age, the mice performed a series of behavioral tasks for about six months to assess their impulsivity, attention span, emotion control and other mental abilities.
In addition to dramatic improvements in attention, the researchers found that the unsupplemented Down syndrome model mice became more agitated after a mistake than normal mice, jumping repeatedly and taking longer to initiate the next trial, whereas the choline-supplemented Down syndrome model mice showed partial improvement in these areas.

"I'm impressed by the magnitude of the cognitive benefits seen in the Down syndrome model mice," Strupp said. "Moreover, these are clearly lasting cognitive improvements, seen many months after the period of choline supplementation."

Strupp noted that the results are consistent with studies by other researchers that found increased maternal choline intake improves offspring cognitive abilities in rats. However, this is the first study to evaluate the effects of maternal choline supplementation in a rodent model of Down syndrome. This is also one of the few studies that has evaluated offspring attentional function and effects in mice, rather than rats, Strupp noted.

Previous studies of humans and laboratory animals have shown that supplementing the diets of adults with choline has proven to be largely ineffective in improving cognition. "Although the precise mechanism is unknown, these lasting beneficial effects of choline observed in the present study are likely to be limited to increased intake during very early development," Strupp said.

The study, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was part of the dissertation of Jisook Moon, Ph.D. '06. Other Cornell collaborators included Myla Strawderman, research associate in nutritional sciences; David Levitsky, professor of nutrition and of psychology; May Chen '07 and Shruti Gandhy '07.

Strupp and collaborators have received additional NIH funding to study the neural mechanisms underlying the positive cognitive effects of perinatal choline supplementation observed in this study.


Side effects
Nausea and dizziness indicate signs of toxicity. (I've not heard of or met anyone who took so much as to get these symptoms!)

Research
- Growth development: Fisher MC, Zeisel SH, Mar MH, Sadler TW. Inhibitors of choline uptake and metabolism cause developmental abnormalities in neurulating mouse embryos. Teratology 2001 Aug; 64(2):114-122.
- Buchman AL, Ament ME, Sohel M, Dubin M, Jenden DJ, Roch M, Pownall H, Farley W, Awal M, Ahn C. Choline deficiency causes reversible hepatic abnormalities in patients receiving parenteral nutrition: proof of a human choline requirement: a placebo-controlled trial. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr 2001 Sep;25(5):260-268.

Science News

http://www.sciencedaily.com/
releases/2010/06/100603132456.htm

Great article on how choline supports brain function, including sleep.

Lots of Choline in Down Syndrome Info from the CMF website

Products

Click "Shop" and you can find these products.

Sunflower Lecithin

How much granules of sunflower lecithin?
The recommended dose is a minimum of 400mg a day, which would be about 1/2 tablespoon of the granules.  In studies, a dosage of 35g/5 tablespoons of sunflower lecithin given to adults appears promising for treating serious brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.

To get a more exact amount for your son, you can look into getting a fatty acid analysis done on him called a BodyBio Blood Biopsy Analysis see http://www.bodybio-wellness.com/report-pro.html

I just sprinkle as much as I can in Jett's food throughout the day. Not very scientific, I'm afraid!

Citicholine

Here's a good article on its benefits: http://www.lifeextension.com/news/lefdailynews?NewsID=13995 

This powder is virtually flavorless and mixes in a bottle easily. The best product and best price is here http://www.iherb.com/Healthy-
Origins-Cognizin-Citicoline-250-mg-150-Capsules/13484?at=0

BodyBio PC

The CMF protocol recommends the use of phosphotidyle choline (PC) rather than just plain choline. PC is more potent and is the active form the body needs  but it is derived from soy and has ethanol in it. BodyBio/E-Lyte BodyBio PC 3000 mg 8 oz for $70.17 & free shipping.

http://www.professionalbrands.
net/www-professionalbrands-net-bodybio-e-lytebodybiopc3000mg8oz-html.html

If you go to changingmindsfoundation.org and sign up as a member, you'll get an email with a 20% discount for BodyBio PC from BodyBio.

http://www.fubaohealthstore.com/E-Lyte-BodyBio-PC-16-oz.html $142.45 for 16 oz. Free shipping (in U.S.) if over $99.


This is 150 capsules. They offer a discount on 4 bottles. This same brand also has a 60 capsule product but at the 60 capsule packaging the Jarrow brand is cheaper Jarrow Choline at iherb

You can use my friend's code, URi094, to get five U.S. dollars off your first order. And she gets a little percentage toward her vitamins too. Then get your own code at the Rewards Program link there.

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