A randomized trial found children in the prenatal phosphatidylcholine group averaged 7.78 points higher on an IQ test at age 4 than children in the placebo group. IQ was a secondary outcome, and the analysis included 103 children.
The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published the study online Oct. 19, 2026. Researchers assigned 206 pregnant women to take 9,000 milligrams of phosphatidylcholine daily or a placebo, beginning at 16 weeks of pregnancy and continuing through delivery. Participants were also encouraged to take standard prenatal vitamins, so the trial did not test whether multivitamins alone affect IQ.
Parents provided behavior assessments for 142 children between 18 months and age 4. The trial’s two primary outcomes were social withdrawal and attention problems. Elevated social withdrawal problems were reported for 4% of children in the supplement group and 24% in the placebo group; attention problems did not improve significantly.
The IQ comparison covered 54 children in the supplement group and 49 in the placebo group. About one-third of the women enrolled were lost before the four-year follow-up, the paper said. The authors also identified parent-reported behavior assessments as a limitation and called for larger trials that follow children longer.
Choline plays roles in fetal development, including the development of the brain and nervous system, according to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements. The NIH office lists 450 milligrams per day as the adequate intake during pregnancy. It also reports that fewer than half of prenatal supplements sold in the United States contain choline, often in small amounts, and that professional societies and government agencies have not issued specific recommendations for choline supplementation during pregnancy.
