It’s not often you hear of researchers telling anyone to eat bacon or eggs. But a new study from the University of North Carolina reveals that choline — found in chicken eggs, pork and other meats — has a big role in helping a fetus to develop regions of the brain associated with memory. That means that pregnant women could have a great excuse to eat bacon and eggs. The research is featured in the January print issue of the FASEB Journal.
According to the senior scientist in the study, Steven Zeisel, the new research conducted with mice shows that a pregnant mother’s diet can change the epigenetic switches controlling the brain development of the fetus, especially when choline is included in the diet.
Zeisel said that gaining a better understanding of how diet modifies our genes may be important for optimal fetal development. Choline’s link to memory development was discovered when researchers fed two groups of pregnant mice different diets during the window when a fetal development of the hippocampus is taking place. The hippocampus is the part of the brain responsible for memory.
“We may never be able to call bacon a health food with a straight face, but the emerging field of epigenetics is already making us rethink those things that we consider healthful and unhealthful,” said Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal.
You may learn more about coline in different foods from the database at the Agricultural Research Service. The database allows you to estimate daily choline intake from more than 400 foods. The biggest sources of choline include meat, nuts and eggs.
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