Low levels of blood choline means high risk for neural tube defects

By David Liu (davidl@foodconsumer.org)

Insufficient levels of choline, a essential nutrient, in pregnant women's blood may increase the risk for brain and spinal-cord defects in newborns, a new U.S. study suggests.

Researchers at The Stanford University School of Medicine compared blood samples collected from 80 pregnant women who gave birth to children with anencephaly and spina bifida to 409 women who gave birth to healthy children.

Anencephaly refers to a condition in which the brain and skull don't develop and spina bifida is a spinal-cord malformation that leads to paralysis and lifelong disability.

The study published in the August 14 issue of Epidemiology showed that choline levels in the blood were correlated with risk of neural tube defects. 

Specifically, women with the lowest levels of blood choline during pregnancy were 2.4 times more likely to give birth to children with neural tube defects than women who had average blood choline levels.  

And highest levels of choline were linked to the lowest risk.

Neural tube defects have already been linked to low levels of blood choline in previous studies.  

Shaw GM and colleagues published a study in 2004 in American Journal of Epidemiology showing that women who had highest intake of choline and betaine were at 75 percent reduced risk for having babies with neural tube defects.

Choline is found abundant in beef liver, wheat germ, egg, cod fish, Brussels sprouts, shrimp, salmon, skim milk, and peanut butter.  

Pregnant women need 450 mg per day while infants aged 0 to 6 months need 125 mg per day and infants aged 7 to 12 month need 150 mg per day.