ArticleThe American journal of clinical nutrition2021
Maternal plasma choline and betaine in late pregnancy and child growth up to age 8 years in the KOALA Birth Cohort Study.
Article in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Choline status and related health outcomes in humans: A scoping review.Nutrition and health · 2026Article
- Impact of Prenatal Nutrition Interventions on Infant Longitudinal Growth: A Secondary Analysis of the Mumta Pregnant Women Trial in Pakistan.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes · 2026Article
- Association of Maternal and Cord Blood Choline and Betaine Concentrations with Birthweight: A Prospective Mother-Infant Cohort Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with altered feto-placental blood flow and sex-specific placental changes.JCI insight · 2025Article
- Maternal Plasma Choline during Gestation and Small for Gestational Age Infants.American journal of perinatology · 2024Article
- Choline - a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023.Food & nutrition research · 2023Article
- Choline supplementation regulates gut microbiome diversity, gut epithelial activity, and the cytokine gene expression in gilts.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSufficient choline and betaine during pregnancy are needed for fetal growth and development.
objectivesWe aimed to investigate the associations between maternal plasma choline and betaine in the third trimester of pregnancy and child growth from birth up to 8 years of age.
methodsConcentrations of choline and betaine were measured in plasma of 1331 pregnant women from the KOALA (Kind, Ouders en gezondheid: Aandacht voor Leefstijl en Aanleg) Birth Cohort Study in the Netherlands. Child weight and height were measured at birth and at 1 (91% complete), 2 (86%), and 6-8 y (76%). Birth weight, weight gain in the first year, and z scores for weight and height at 1 and 2 y were used as continuous outcome variables. BMI z scores at 1 and 2 y were used as continuous and dichotomous outcomes, and BMI z scores at age 6-8 y were used to study overweight at that age.
resultsEach 1-µmol/L increase of maternal plasma choline was associated with a mean 20-g (95% CI: 1.1, 38.0 g) higher weight gain in the first year of life, and a higher BMI z score (β: 0.02; 95% CI: 0.00, 0.04) and slightly higher odds of BMI z score >85th percentile (OR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.10) at 1-2 y. Each 1-µmol/L increase of plasma betaine was associated with a mean 12-g (95% CI: 0.8, 23.9 g) higher weight gain in the first year of life and higher odds of BMI z score >85th percentile at 1-2 y (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.07). Lastly, betaine was associated with overweight at 6-8 y (OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.34), only in boys.
conclusionsThird-trimester pregnancy plasma choline and betaine were positively associated with childhood anthropometric measures. In boys, some of the associations may have persisted up to 8 y of age. Further studies may investigate the validity of maternal plasma choline and betaine concentrations as markers of maternal intake and fetal transfer.
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