Ithaca College

Assistant Professor Laura Muscalu teaches part-time in the Psychology Department at Ithaca College and  is a research collaborator in the multidisciplinary Tots on Bots study. She is also associate researcher in the department of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University.

 This article is attracting a lot of media attention as it presents the findings from  "a rigorous experimental study that shows "cognitive benefits in the offspring of pregnant women who daily consumed close to twice the currently recommended amount of choline during their last trimester [...], a nutrient found in egg yolks, lean red meat, fish, poultry, legumes, nuts and cruciferous vegetables" (Ramanujan, 2018, n.p). What makes this finding relevant is that even though this nutrient is very important for cognitive development, particularly during the third trimester of pregnancy,  most women, probably due to dietary trends and practices and the negative reputation some of these foods have, consume less than the recommended daily dose (Ramanujan, 2018). For more information on this study follow the links provided below.

Congratulations Laura!

Links:

1. Cornell Chronicle (Jan 3, 2018): http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2018/01/adequate-choline-pregnancy-may-have-cognitive-benefits-offspring

2. Science Daily (Jan 4, 2018):https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180104124300.htm

3. Medical X Press (Jan 4, 2018): https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-01-foods-choline-pregnancy-boost-baby.html

Citation:

 Caudill, M.A., Barbara J. Strupp, B.J.,Muscalu, L., et al. (2018). Maternal choline supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy improves infant information processing speed: a randomized, double-blind, controlled feeding study. The FASEB Journal, 32.