Choline

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Children's memory and thinking³

  Taking choline supplements during pregnancy may help children's memory and thinking, though scientists are still studying how well it works.

• Open question

  Exercise performance⁴

  Choline supplements are said to help muscles during exercise, but studies in people do not yet prove this.

• Open question

  Diabetes risk in older women⁵

  In older women, eating more choline was linked to higher diabetes risk, but this faded once cholesterol was counted.

Animal and lab studies only

• Open question

  Liver health in offspring⁸

  In animal studies, choline given to obese pregnant mice changed liver fats in their babies.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Nutrient needs across species⁶

  In many animals choline is an essential nutrient, but this has not been established for humans.

How it’s made and used

• Brain development in babies⁷

  Many pregnant women get too little choline, which animal studies link to brain development problems.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.