A new study found that pregnant women who took a specific nutrient supplement had children who scored nearly eight points higher on IQ tests at age four.
Quick Take
- University of Colorado researchers randomly assigned 206 pregnant women to a high-dose nutrient supplement or a placebo.
- Children whose mothers took the supplement averaged an IQ score of 106 at age four, compared to 98 for the placebo group.
- Only about 103 of the original 206 children were tested at age four, shrinking the sample behind the headline number.
- Researchers say the finding is not strong enough yet to change standard prenatal vitamin advice.
A Randomized Trial, Not Just a Hunch
Researchers at the University of Colorado started this study the right way. They randomly assigned 206 pregnant women at 16 weeks to receive either 9,000 milligrams of phosphatidylcholine daily or a placebo pill, continuing until delivery. Random assignment matters because it helps rule out other explanations for a result, unlike studies that simply track what women already happen to eat or take.
CBS Mornings covered the results with infectious disease physician Dr. Céline Gounder, who walked viewers through what the study found and what it didn’t prove. She was careful to note that one trial, however striking, is not enough evidence to tell every pregnant woman to change her prenatal routine. That kind of caution matters in a culture quick to turn one headline into a new rule.
What the Numbers Actually Showed
The children tracked through age four were split into two groups based on what their mothers took during pregnancy. Those in the supplement group scored an average IQ of 106. Those in the placebo group averaged 98. That eight-point gap is large enough to matter in real-world terms, closer to the difference between an average student and one who tests into gifted programs.
But the number everyone quotes comes from a smaller slice of the original study. Researchers randomized 206 women, yet only around 103 children actually completed cognitive testing at age four. Nearly half the original group dropped out of the follow-up before researchers could measure the outcome everyone is now talking about.
Why Scientists Urge Caution Before Generalizing
Dr. Gounder’s own review of the trial flagged two complications. Women with more education were more likely to stay in the study through the four-year follow-up, and education itself is linked to higher childhood IQ regardless of supplements. Separately, 20 women, 10 from each group, ended up taking the actual supplement outside the study protocol during pandemic disruptions. Removing those 20 participants made the IQ gap disappear.
This single trial also sits inside a much messier research record. A broader review of four randomized trials and five observational studies on prenatal choline found that most neurodevelopmental outcomes showed no meaningful difference between supplemented and non-supplemented groups. Supplement science has disappointed before: an earlier high-profile trial testing prenatal DHA found no IQ advantage for children at age seven, despite early excitement.
There’s also a real gap between the trial and what’s sold on store shelves. The study used 9,000 milligrams of a specific compound, phosphatidylcholine, far beyond what’s in a typical prenatal vitamin. A 2025 analysis of commercial prenatal products found many omitted choline entirely or listed amounts that didn’t match what was actually in the bottle. Parents reading this headline should know the gap between a lab protocol and a drugstore shelf is enormous.
None of this means the finding is worthless. A randomized trial showing an eight-point IQ gap deserves serious follow-up, bigger samples, and independent replication. It just means one hopeful study, filtered through a news segment, isn’t the same thing as settled science. Parents deserve that distinction spelled out plainly, not buried under a catchy headline.
Sources:
youtube.com, cbsnews.com, celinegounder.com, rynekzdrowia.pl, earth.com, kymatahealth.com, onlinelibrary.wiley.com
