I read that choline bitartrate does not cross the blood brain barrier. Is it effective and safe during pregnancy?Updated 4 months ago

Choline bitartrate is used to raise choline blood levels. During pregnancy, we are not trying to increase brain levels of choline. We want to deliver the choline to the mother and her developing child.

Choline is a methyl donor used a lot by the mother, and baby, during pregnancy. 

99% of pregnant women are choline deficient.

Sufficient choline levels ensure that methylation during fetal development is working properly, healthy homocysteine levels are maintained, and that normal brain development and cell membrane formation are supported.†

Research shows that pregnant women who supplement with choline are supporting healthy pregnancies.

TMAO levels may be increased in some individuals but it's not likely. The benefit of choline supplementation far outweighs the potential increase in TMAO.†

"We detected potential TMA-producing communities in fecal samples from all animals tested, demonstrating that this functional group is omnipresent in the gut across Mammalia. However, those bacteria occupy only a small niche as their abundance was low in all samples (mean cumulative relative abundance of ≤1.2% of total community), except for cntA which was detected at high concentrations in a few samples. In humans, a similar abundance pattern was previously observed."

TMAO is produced by an unhealthy microbiome. If a pregnant woman has an unhealthy microbiome, she should be working to improve it. Consider ProBiota HistaminX during pregnancy to support a healthy microbiome.†

Sources:

https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fj.202101217R

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6964529/