#560: Neurodiversity & Nutrition: Choline, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Beyond – Emma Derbyshire, PhD
Apr 22, 2025
auto_awesome
Emma Derbyshire, PhD, a maternal nutrition expert and author of *Nutrition for ADHD and Dyslexia*, explores the crucial role of choline in neurodevelopment. She discusses how low choline intake could affect brain function, especially in children with ADHD and dyslexia. The conversation highlights the need for better research on nutrient intake and its impact on cognitive performance. Derbyshire emphasizes practical dietary strategies to support those with neurodevelopmental conditions and the importance of incorporating choline-rich foods into daily habits.
Choline is crucial for brain function during critical developmental periods, with adequate intake potentially influencing cognitive outcomes in neurodiverse conditions like ADHD and dyslexia.
Research challenges in measuring nutrient effects highlight the need for standardized protocols to better understand choline's role in neurodevelopmental disorders and dietary strategies.
Deep dives
The Role of Nutrition in Neurodevelopment
Nutrition, particularly specific nutrients, is recognized as a modifiable influence on neurodevelopment and related cognitive outcomes. Research has demonstrated that deficiencies in certain nutrients can lead to severe consequences in brain function, with discussions around nutrients like folate previously suggesting significant implications. The emerging focus on neurodiversity encompasses conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, and autism, prompting investigations into how nutrient status may affect neurodevelopment, processing speed, attention, and learning. A particular nutrient of interest is choline, which has been associated with brain function during critical periods of development and may offer potential benefits in managing neurodevelopmental conditions.
Choline: Essential for Brain Function
Choline is classified as an essential nutrient necessary for synthesizing neurotransmitters like acetylcholine, critical for memory, attention, and overall brain function. Its production is limited in the liver, necessitating dietary intake, especially during pregnancy and breastfeeding when needs increase significantly. Studies indicate that choline works synergistically with other nutrients like folate, supporting key developmental processes such as cell membrane integrity and neural tube formation. The understanding of choline's role and the recognition that many individuals, especially during critical life stages, are not meeting the adequate intake recommendations, highlight the need for increased dietary focus on this nutrient.
Research Challenges in Nutritional Neuroscience
Research in the field of nutritional neuroscience presents several complexities, particularly when analyzing the effects of choline on neurodevelopment. Variability in measurement techniques, such as dietary intake assessments and plasma choline levels, complicates the ability to draw consistent conclusions across studies. Furthermore, differences in population characteristics, dietary habits, and health conditions can affect choline metabolism and outcomes, necessitating standardized protocols for more reliable evidence. Addressing these challenges is crucial to establish causal relationships and to understand the impacts of choline and other nutrients on cognitive development.
Future Directions for Dietary Recommendations and Public Health
Given the recognized choline gap in various populations, particularly pregnant and lactating women, there is an urgent need for improved dietary guidelines and public health initiatives to enhance choline intake. Current recommendations in some countries advocate for prenatal vitamins to include choline, but many regions have yet to adopt similar policies. Increasing awareness of the nutritional requirements related to neurodevelopment could ultimately inform dietary strategies and necessitate the inclusion of choline in general health guidelines. Future research must focus not only on individual nutrient recommendations but also on broader public health approaches, including fortification and educational campaigns, to bridge existing dietary gaps.
Nutrition is increasingly being considered as a modifiable factor that may influence neurodevelopmental outcomes. While severe deficiencies in certain nutrients are known to have dramatic effects, there is growing interest in the potential impact of more subtle insufficiencies — particularly during critical windows such as pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood.
In conditions like ADHD, dyslexia, and autism spectrum condition (ASC), questions have been raised around whether specific nutrients may play a role in cognitive performance, attention, or learning.
Could low choline intake be a contributing factor to altered brain function?
Are individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions more likely to have different nutrient needs or metabolic profiles?
And how might practical dietary strategies fit into a broader management approach?
In this episode, Dr. Emma Derbyshire discusses the evidence on choline and other brain-related nutrients in the context of neurodiversity.
Timestamps
[02:02] Guest background
[05:38] Choline: what it is and why it matters
[07:26] Research challenges: measuring choline and study design issues
[10:49] Maternal intake: choline’s role in fetal brain development
