Groundbreaking prenatal gets an upgrade, with choline in focus – here’s why

Did you know that 90 to 95 per cent of pregnant women are deficient in at least one key nutrient? 

Really, it’s not surprising. In pregnancy – and while breastfeeding – our micronutrient requirements ramp up considerably. And, some of these nutrients – take omega-3, for example, and choline – can be a challenge to find through diet alone. 

Focusing on choline in pregnancy – super-critical for a baby’s brain development – the requirement during pregnancy is 450 mg per day, and 550 mg while breastfeeding. But as this essay, re-published recently in Scientific American, points out, unless you’re regularly consuming a fair amount of beef liver (not recommended during pregnancy), it’s difficult to hit that requirement. 

It makes sense to look for a prenatal which helps us level up. So when the reformulated Advanced Prenatal with Choline by Ovaterra came across my desk, I was excited to unpack the values – it’s the only prenatal vitamin capsule on the market with the full recommended daily value of brain-building choline.

Let’s take a look. Keep reading for the formula notes, plus a Q&A with team Ovaterra covering choline in pregnancy, and what we should be looking for. 

Keen to snap it up? Skip straight to Ovaterra and get 15% off the entire range – including the Advanced Prenatal with Choline – with code TRB15.

Upgrading your baseline

Before we dive into the specific FAQs on choline, and a few other superstar micronutrients, here are the notes on your 5 top-searched micronutrients during pregnancy – folate, choline, vitamin A, vitamin C and iron, and what we’ve done recently to upgrade. 

For details on the other 19 essential vitamins and minerals packed into each serving, head straight to Ovaterra.

Folate

In what form? [6S]-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid Glucosamine Salt (Quatrefolic®)

This B vitamin is essential for development of the central nervous system – i.e a baby’s brain and spinal cord. The Advanced Prenatal uses natural folate (methylfolate), rather than synthetic folic acid, making it MTHFR variant-friendly (more on that here) and easier for your body to use.

How much do I get? 750 mcg DFE per serving, 125% of the daily value for pregnant and lactating women.

Choline

In what form? Choline Bitartrate 

Choline is crucial for the development of a baby’s brain, during pregnancy. It also plays a vital role in healthy brain functioning. Many prenatals include a fraction of the daily requirement, or skip it altogether. 

How much do I get? 550mg per serving, 100% of the daily value for pregnant and lactating women.

Vitamin A

In what form? 50% as Beta Carotene and 50% as Retinyl Palmitate

Vitamin A supports vision, cellular signaling, immune and function and the reproductive system. Our reformulation has upgraded Vitamin A to include it in the more bioavailable retinyl palmitate form, at a safe level during pregnancy and breastfeeding. 

How much do I get? 2,000RAE mcg per serving, 154% of the daily value for pregnant and lactating women.

Vitamin C

In what form? Ascorbic Acid

Vitamin C is a highly researched, versatile antioxidant, that supports immune function and connective tissue health. The Advanced Prenatal is one of the few prenatal vitamins to provide 500 mg of Vitamin C per serving – most do include it, but in very small amounts. 

How much do I get? 500 mg per serving, 417% of the daily value for pregnant and lactating women.

Iron

In what form? Ferrous Bisglycinate Chelate

So much research has gone into iron requirements during pregnancy, over the last few decades. And, recent studies suggest that chelated forms of certain minerals – including iron – may be better absorbed. This mineral is vital for transport of oxygen to a developing baby, supporting healthy growth and neurological development.  

How much do I get? 25 mg per serving, 93% of the daily value for pregnant and lactating women. 

These are your top five most-searched pregnancy vitamins and minerals. The Advanced Prenatal delivers 19 more, in an upgraded formula focusing on bioavailability and potency.

Catch up on the full list, and keep reading for our Q&A with Ovaterra, putting choline front and center.

Why is choline so important, in a prenatal?

Choline in prenatal vitamins is highly recommended, because this essential nutrient supports early brain development during pregnancy*. It’s also necessary for the synthesis of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter involved in brain and nervous system functions. 

The Advanced Prenatal developed and reformulated by Ovaterra is the only prenatal vitamin that delivers the full recommended daily value – 550 mg – of choline for pregnant and nursing women.

Many pregnant/nursing women are deficient in choline – why is this?

Choline is essential for normal cell function, and particularly key to our brain and cognitive health. It helps maintain the structural integrity of cell membranes, facilitates cellular signaling, acts as a methyl donor in the methionine cycle (reducing harmful homocysteine), regulates DNA expression and more.

During pregnancy, a baby relies on the mom’s choline intake to develop the central nervous system, including the brain and the spine. This is why choline is considered just as important during pregnancy as folate (folic acid), in helping prevent neural tube defects and support healthy brain development.

The need for choline increases as a baby’s brain grows, during pregnancy. By the time the baby is born, they have up to 7 times more Choline circulating in the body than the mom. This increasing demand means the mom’s body can get depleted of choline as the pregnancy progresses.

Given that pregnant women only get about 70 per cent of the current recommended daily amount of choline, your first step might be to try to meet the current recommendation of 450 mg per day. This applies to over 90 per cent of pregnant women in the US, who it’s estimated aren’t meeting the daily requirement.

From there, we’d recommend:

1. Incorporating choline-rich foods into your diet: Eggs are a great source of choline, delivering around 300 mg per two eggs. Other animal-derived protein – including beef, chicken, fish and dairy products like milk and yogurt – plus some plant-based sources like soybeans (100 mg per half cup) and kidney beans (45 mg per half cup) are also handy to pack in. 
2. Choosing a prenatal which includes choline: It’s difficult to get even the current recommended amount of choline from food alone, making your prenatal very important. Many prenatals either don’t contain choline at all, or deliver just a token amount, usually under 100-150 mg/day. To make a real difference, look for a prenatal which helps you top up what you’re able to get from whole food sources.
3. Get enough B vitamins and folate: Your B vitamin and folate status affects your choline levels. So, ensure your prenatal is also helping you bring these up to par.

What form of choline is best for pregnancy?

Choline bitartrate is essentially choline combined with salt of tartaric acid, and one of the most studied forms of choline. It’s also highly bioavailable, and the one that we use in our Advanced Prenatal. 

Keen to level up your choline and prenatal? Get 15% off the entire range at Ovaterra – including the Advanced Prenatal with Choline, using code TRB15.