Prenatal choline supplement may boost child IQ and social skills

A randomized clinical trial at the University of Colorado enrolled 206 pregnant women who were assigned at 16 weeks of gestation to receive either 9,000 milligrams of phosphatidylcholine daily or a matching placebo until delivery. All participants were encouraged to take standard prenatal vitamins and to include eggs, meat and other foods naturally rich in choline.

Higher IQ and better social behavior

Children whose mothers took the supplement showed markedly fewer social withdrawal problems—4 % versus 24 % in the placebo group—and scored on average eight points higher on a preschool‑age IQ test (106 versus 98). The higher scores involved better working memory and visual‑spatial skills, which help a child remember instructions and fit puzzle pieces.

The researchers also noted fewer children in the supplement group with language difficulties and autism‑related behavior profiles, although attention problems did not differ between groups. The study explains that choline activates a receptor—CHRNA7—in developing nerve cells, a process that may be under‑stimulated by a normal diet.

The supplement dosage varied slightly between reports: the University study used 9,000 mg of phosphatidylcholine per day, while the Earth.com report described 10 large capsules a day. In both accounts no significant safety problems were reported, though about one‑third of participants did not complete the four‑year follow‑up, with higher completion among women who had graduate degrees.

Future work will need larger samples and longer follow‑up to see if the early gains in IQ and social behavior persist as children grow, and to determine the optimal choline dose. A sub‑analysis of families who contracted COVID‑19 during pregnancy did not alter the main findings, though statistical significance was lost in the smaller group.