Choline Introduction

Choline is an essential nutrient, a B-vitamin. It can be manufactured in the body (from the amino acid methionine), although there is some debate whether it can be made in sufficient amounts for optimal health. Folic acid and vitamin B12 are also needed to process choline. Choline plays a role in brain development (as an amine precursor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine), liver function and cardiovascular health. The recommended amount of choline is 425mg/day for women and 550mg/day for men. Food sources of choline include egg yolks (the major dietary source), organ meats and legumes. Choline is available in supplemental form as lecithin (or phosphatidylcholine) as well as purified choline capsules and as an ingredient in sports bars and drinks.

Choline is an important constituent of cell membranes, so choline has functions in virtually every bodily system. Choline participates in lipid (fat) transport in the body and may reduce accumulation of fat in the liver. As a dietary supplement and ergogenic aid, however, claims surrounding choline are due mostly to its role as a component of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter needed for conduction of nerve signals and brain function. 

The "average" diet supplies about 400 - 900mg of choline daily, which is presumed to be adequate. Choline was designated as an essential nutrient by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences in April of 1998. The recommended amount of choline is 425 mg/day for women and 550 mg/day for men. Supplemental levels of 1-5 grams of choline may help improve exercise performance and promote adequate mental function.

Choline Food sources: Choline and choline esters can be found in significant amounts in many foods consumed by humans; some of the choline is added during processing (especially in the preparation of infant formula). Little reference information exists on the relative choline content of foods, but we estimate the average choline dietary intake (as choline and choline esters) of the adult human to be more than 500 mg/day. Orally ingested choline (e.g., as hydrochloride salt) may be degraded by intestinal bacteria and cause a fishy body odor; this does not occur when lecithin is eaten.

Choline Clinical uses: Amino acid-glucose solutions used in total parenteral nutrition of humans lack choline. The lipid emulsions that deliver extra calories and essential fatty acids during parenteral nutrition contain choline in the form of lecithin (20% emulsion contains 13.2 mmol/L). Humans treated with parenteral nutrition required 1-1.7 mmol of choline-containing phospholipid/day during the first week of parenteral nutrition therapy to maintain plasma choline levels. 

There are no established approaches to determine nutritional status for choline. Plasma choline and phosphatidylcholine concentrations fall when humans are fed a choline-deficient diet or after strenuous, prolonged physical activity, such as running a marathon. Even in severe deficiency, plasma choline concentrations do not fall below 50% of normal. Measurement of serum alanine aminotransferase activity, which rises approximately 1 week after the feeding a choline-deficient diet, may prove beneficial in assessment of choline nutritional status. 

There are several ways in which Choline can benefit your health: 

choline help form cell membranes and transport fats and nutrients into and out of cells. They are also involved in human reproduction and fetal and infant development. In fact, choline must be included in all FDA-approved infant formulas.

Treat memory loss or impairment. Many nutritionally oriented doctors consider phosphatidylcholine a valuable nerve-building nutrient that might be able to help slow or reverse memory loss. As a phospholipid--a fat-soluble substance--this nutrient serves as a major structural component of brain cells. Perhaps even more important, phosphatidylcholine plays a key role in supplying sufficient choline to the brain, where it's used to manufacture the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Levels of acetylcholine are known to dwindle with age and this decline is associated with age-related memory impairment.

Protect the liver from alcohol abuse and hepatitis. Phosphatidylcholine is believed to speed the flow of fats and cholesterol through the liver, prevent the buildup of fats within the liver, and assist the liver in eliminating dangerous toxins from the body.

Choline is frequently found in combination with such liver-strengthening ingredients as the B vitamin inositol, the amino acid methionine, and the herbs dandelion and milk thistle in preparations called lipotropic combinations.

Prevent gallstones. Low levels of choline, an important constituent of the fat-digesting substance known as bile, may promote gallstones. That's why taking choline supplements (or its purified extract, phosphatidylcholine) may help to avert often painful gallstones.