More choline for mom decreases Down syndrome effects

By Brian Friedlander from the Cornell Chronicle:
Fetuses with Down syndrome dramatically benefit when their mothers increase their intake of the nutrient choline during pregnancy and nursing, report Cornell researchers in the journal Neurobiology of Disease. Increased choline by moms bolsters brain functions and plays a profound health role for Down syndrome offspring throughout their lives.
Increased maternal choline intake improves spatial cognition and attention, and delays aging-related memory decline in normal laboratory rats.  The present findings with Down syndrome mice indicate that increased maternal choline consumption may also lessen the impairment of individuals with Down syndrome and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, which is seen in nearly all Down syndrome individuals.