26 October 2019 | New Scientist | 21▲ Spacewalk
Christina Koch and
Jessica Meir completed the
first all-female spacewalk,
an achievement ruined
only by a congratulatory
phone call from US
president Donald Trump.▲ Big bubbles
An underwater volcano in
Alaska belched stadium-
sized bubbles of gas.
Reports of rugby fans
stocking up on beer to try
to beat the record haven’t
yet been confirmed.▲ Snot catchers
Marine biologists have
used drones to catch snot
from dolphins.▼ Phone security
A bug allows anyone to
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Thankfully, you can
always change your
fingerpri ... oh.▼ Government tech
After six years of arguing
and delays, the UK
government has ditched
its plan for online
pornography age checks.science on choline gets entangled
with the wider debate over meat.
As is common in nutrition
research, some of the studies
have been funded by the food
or supplement industries, which
some people find suspicious.
Advocates of veganism
highlight that Derbyshire has been
a member of industry-funded
meat and choline advisory
panels. She says, however, that
she has advised numerous
commercial bodies, including
a vegan food firm.
Others are just keen that the
spotlight on choline doesn’t
detract from the possible health
benefits of plant-based foods.
“Choline is clearly an important
molecule, but we still don’t know
what amounts are needed for
optimal health,” says Walter
Willett at Harvard Medical School.
“This should not delay us from
shifting to healthier and
sustainable diets.”
Willett points to a paradox.
If a substance found mainly in
animal products is so beneficial,
why does most research find that
people live longer when they eat
less red meat?
It may be that the benefits of
eating less saturated fat outweigh
the harms of less choline – if so
you could get the best of both
worlds by swerving meat and
taking supplements. Some
have recently argued that the
advice to avoid red meat was
wrong, because it was based on
potentially flawed population
studies rather than randomised
trials (New Scientist, 5 October, p 9).
We still have lots to learn about
choline. But there are signs that
it is getting on more people’s
radar. Vegan bloggers are talking
about it, and Derbyshire’s recent
paper has grabbed attention.
“I just want to raise awareness,”
she says. ❚such as nuts and soya beans, but
they contain far less than eggs
and red meat (see graph, left).
“You can get it, but you have got
to be very rigorous in your diet,”
says Derbyshire.
Vegetarians and vegans
can, of course, take choline
supplements. But many don’t
know to do so. The UK Vegan
Society says choline is nothing
to worry about for those eatinga varied diet mainly based on
minimally processed plant foods.
A spokesperson told New Scientist
that the nutrient wasn’t on its
agenda until recently, saying,
“it’s just not a nutrient that
deserves any attention”.
This is where the emergingGETTY IMAGESWorking
hypothesis
Sorting the week’s
supernovae from
the absolute zerosMore Insight online
Your guide to a rapidly changing world
newscientist.com/insightFor babies and fetuses at least,
there is growing consensus that
choline is essential. Baby milk
manufacturers must now
ensure a minimum level in their
products, both in the US and
Europe. And in 2018, the American
Academy of Pediatrics called for
pregnant women to ensure they
are getting enough choline.
That isn’t easy. Most prenatal
multivitamins contain no choline.
Some include a dose of 100 mg,
which is much less than the
advised 425 mg for pregnant
women in the US. The trouble is,
including that amount in a
multivitamin tablet would make
it too bulky to swallow. The UK
National Health Service’s dietary
advice for pregnant women also
makes no mention of choline.
Derbyshire says choline should
be of particular concern for those
eating fewer animal products.
There are plant sources of choline,
“ If a substance in meat
is so beneficial, why do
people live longer when
they eat less red meat?”3D STOCK ILLUSTRATIONS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; NASA