Prenatal Choline Supplementation Improves Child Color-location Memory Task Performance at 7 Y of Age (FS05-01-19)

Objectives

To assess the effect of 3rd trimester maternal choline supplementation on child memory at 7 y of age. Animal studies have provided strong evidence that maternal choline supplementation improves offspring cognition, including memory, but few experimental studies have evaluated this intervention in humans.

Methods

Pregnant women (n = 26) were randomized to consume 480 mg (approx. the Adequate Intake [AI]) or 930 mg choline/d from gestational wk 27 until delivery as part of a controlled-feeding study. All food (providing 380 mg choline/d), choline supplements (100 mg or 550 mg/d), and prenatal vitamins were provided by the study. An ancillary follow-up was conducted to assess offspring cognitive functioning, including memory, at age 7 y (n = 20). Children performed a computer-based color-location memory task in which the location of dots on a cartoon figure were recalled after a retention interval (RI) of 1 or 8 s. The task increased in difficulty level (number of dots to be recalled; 1 to 5 dots) every 4 trials. Data were analyzed using mixed models; pairwise comparisons were corrected for multiplicity.

Results

Children in the 930 mg/d group passed more levels than those in the 480 mg/d group (P = .048; see Figure), indicative of superior memory span. While the choline group by RI interaction was non-significant (P = .31), contrasts revealed that the 930 (v. 480) mg/d group tended to pass more levels at the 1 s RI (P = .052), but not at the 8 s RI (P = .58). Similarly, the analysis of total dots correct revealed a choline group by RI interaction (P = .08) such that children in the 930 (v. 480) mg/d group recalled more dots correctly at the 1 s RI (P = .02), but not at the 8 s RI (P > .99).

Conclusions

Children whose mothers consumed 930 (v. 480) mg choline/d performed significantly better on a task of color-location memory at age 7 y, suggesting a long-term beneficial effect of prenatal choline supplementation on offspring cognition in humans. These findings indicate that the choline AI for pregnant women may not be sufficient for optimal offspring cognitive functioning and raise concerns about choline intake during pregnancy in North America, which on average is only approx. 70% of the AI.

Funding Sources

Funded by NIFA/USDA and the Balchem Corp. JEHN and CLB were supported by NIH Traineeships. CLB was supported by an Egg Nutrition Center Young Investigator Research Award for Early Exploration.

Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs

Developmental potential in the first 5 years for children in developing countries

Many children younger than 5 years in developing countries are exposed to multiple risks, including poverty, malnutrition, poor health, and unstimulating home environments, which detrimentally affect their cognitive, motor, and social-emotional development. There are few national statistics on the development of young children in developing countries. We therefore identified two factors with available worldwide data--the prevalence of early childhood stunting and the number of people living in absolute poverty--to use as indicators of poor development. We show that both indicators are closely associated with poor cognitive and educational performance in children and use them to estimate that over 200 million children under 5 years are not fulfilling their developmental potential. Most of these children live in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. These disadvantaged children are likely to do poorly in school and subsequently have low incomes, high fertility, and provide poor care for their children, thus contributing to the intergenerational transmission of poverty.

Enhanced thermogenesis during recovery from diet-induced weight gain in the rat

The present study examined the contribution of energy expenditure to the recovery of body weight after a period of overfeeding. Three groups of 2-mo-old female rats (n = 24) were fed, respectively, a 10% (wt/wt)-fat diet (control), a 35% (wt/wt)-fat diet (high fat) or were force fed 130% of the control diet (tube fed). After 30 days, all groups received the control diet for 18 days of recovery. Both overfeeding protocols significantly increased weight above control levels. This difference disappeared after 7 days of recovery. Increases in resting oxygen consumption, serum 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) levels, and the thermogenic response to norepinephrine were observed at the end of overfeeding. Serum T3 and resting oxygen consumption returned to control levels by day 3 of recovery from overfeeding, whereas the thermogenic response to norepinephrine required 9 days to recover. Whereas total energy expenditure was not significantly elevated during overfeeding, significant increases of 9.6 and 13.9% were observed in the formerly high-fat and tube-fed animals, respectively, during recovery. These data indicate that changes in energy expenditure play an important role in maintaining the stability of body weight.