Health Benefits of DHA and Phosphatidylcholine During Pregnancy

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and phosphatidylcholine are two key pregnancy nutrients that support brain and liver function, and cell membrane structure. Both are vital for your health and your baby’s development. Read our article to learn more about DHA and phosphatidylcholine benefits and how to include them in your prenatal nutrition plan. 

DHA and phosphatidylcholine both play critical roles in the body, particularly during the earliest years of life beginning in pregnancy. We'll discuss each nutrient and point you to good sources of DHA and phosphatidylcholine in foods and prenatal vitamins.

Phosphatidylcholine, or PC, is a nutrient with a long name and an even longer list of critical functions. First, it’s one of the main components of cell membranes. PC also acts as a carrier for fats, taking them from the liver (where dietary fat goes after digestion) to other tissues and organs where they are used for energy or stored for later use. 

This is one of the reasons PC is so important for your baby: it transports DHA from your baby’s liver to their brain. You may be eating the recommended amount of DHA during pregnancy (450 mg/day), but if you’re not getting enough PC, your body may not be able to move the DHA out of your liver to your baby’s body.[5]

PC is important as a fat carrier for another reason, too. When fat can’t get out of the liver, it accumulates over time. And that can cause liver inflammation and eventually, fatty liver disease (also called steatotic liver disease).[6] 

To sum up, when you’re pregnant, your body sends lots of phosphatidylcholine to your baby for the following functions:

• Development of cell membranes
• Fat metabolism in the liver
• Development of the nervous system
• Brain and nerve cell function

PC is so essential that the body has two ways of making it: from choline and from phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Several genes regulate these pathways, including one called PEMT. Estrogen increases the activity of PEMT so the mother’s body can make more PC and choline for her baby during pregnancy. We know this is critical for two reasons:

1. The amount of choline in cord blood is about three times higher than that of mom’s blood. This is one indication of the additional choline and PC babies need during their early development.[7]
2. Children born to moms with lower PC intake score lower on cognitive tests and display more social withdrawal and attention problems, issues that can persist throughout life.[8,9] 

Because phosphatidylcholine is so important for developing babies, estrogen turns on one of the major enzymes needed to make it during pregnancy. However studies have found over 70% of women have one or more genetic variants that affect the amount of phosphatidylcholine and choline their body can make. [8]

For these women, it's crucial to get enough from their diet and/or prenatal supplements. A prenatal genetic screening test like Genate can identify genetic variants that affect your body’s phosphatidylcholine production.

Choline belongs to a group of nutrients called one-carbon nutrients. It’s essential in all stages of life, but it's especially critical during the first 1000 days (pregnancy through the first two years), when the brain is forming at a rapid pace.[10]

In the body, choline can be converted to three other compounds:

1. Phosphatidylcholine 
2. Betaine
3. Acetylcholine

We’ve covered phosphatidylcholine; now we’ll take a look at why the other two nutrients are so important for you and your baby during and after pregnancy.

Choline takes part in a process called methylation by producing betaine, another one-carbon nutrient. These nutrients get their name from the one-carbon molecules, also called methyl groups, they donate to other compounds in the body. Choline is the primary way we get methyl groups from our diet. The body uses methyl groups for a number of processes, but one of the most important for a developing fetus is DNA methylation, which plays a key role in gene expression (turning genes on or off). 

Gene expression affects everything from eye color to disease risk to immune function.[11] Through its conversion to betaine, choline also helps regulate homocysteine levels. That’s super important in pregnancy, because high homocysteine is linked to low birth weight, placental complications, and severe preeclampsia (high blood pressure in pregnancy).[12] Elevated homocysteine is also a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and blood clots. [13] 

Choline can also be made into acetylcholine, which is an important neurotransmitter after birth. (Choline serves as your baby’s prime neurotransmitter in the womb.) Without neurotransmitters, your baby’s nerve cells can’t “talk” to each other, and that can cause issues with muscle and nerve function, affecting a wide range of systems throughout the body.

Choline is a precursor to several other vital nutrients for you and your baby during pregnancy. It’s critical to make sure you’re getting enough choline and PC in your diet or from supplements.

The body can’t make much DHA, so we must get it from foods or supplements.

The top food sources of DHA include:[10]

This article is not intended as medical advice to treat or diagnose any health condition but rather as educational health information for the general public. It should not be used as a substitute for individualized medical care from your healthcare provider.

About Jordan Stachel, MS, RDN

Jordan is an RDN who holds a Master’s degree in Dietetics from The University of Southern California. She has many years of experience helping clients reach their health goals through her clinical work within private practice. It can be difficult for individuals to discern between nutrition information that is both credible and relevant versus misinformation and conflicting guidance. As an expert in the field, Jordan finds great fulfillment in filling this gap by providing detailed clarification and explanation by leading the discussion surrounding nutrition and wellness. Jordan looks forward to continuing to help others achieve the most optimal version of themselves and improve their longevity and to being a dependable source and voice within the field of nutrition and dietetics.