Choline - The Most Important Nutrient You Never Hear About!

 

Choline has recently been added to the list of essential nutrients for several reasons.  In a 2020 review, the Dietary Advisory Committee found that most Americans are deficient in Choline.

Studies show higher choline intake is linked to decreased heart disease risk and well as a 24% drop in breast cancer risk.  Choline supports optimal health at all stages of life and plays a critical role in healthy fetal development, helps maintain cognition and memory, boosts energy, and helps regulate muscle control.

Choline has several key functions:

Helps the body produce key cellular messaging compounds

Is critical for proper cell structure and cell membrane composition

Is necessary for fat transport and metabolism

Is required for DNA synthesis

Choline and Brain Function

Choline Is key for nervous system health because choline is required for the synthesis of acetylcholine (ACH) which is a neurotransmitter used throughout the brain and body.

ACH decreases with age and decreased ACH levels directly reduce cognitive function.   ACH supports alertness, attention, and learning.  ACH levels are critical for memory, and in Alzheimer's patients ACH levels are lowered.   

ACH levels are lowered by many common over the counter antihistamines taken for allergies and sleep such as Benadryl.  These drugs are directly linked to increased dementia risk for this reason.

 How Much Choline?

 Your body produces some choline, but you still require a substantial amount of dietary choline.

The newly established daily value for choline is 500 mg per day. You can get it from choline supplements or foods including eggs (113 mg of choline per egg), beef liver (290 mg of choline per 2.4 ounces), chicken liver (222 mg of choline per 2.4 ounces), cod (249 mg per 85 grams), and more.

Adequate dietary choline intake is particularly challenging for vegetarians and even more so vegans because the best dietary sources of choline are from animal products.   It is very difficult to get the 550 mg RDA of choline from purely plant sources.   For this reason, it is worth aging Vegetarians or Vegans consider taking a highly bioavailable choline supplement like Alpha GPC.

Too Much Choline

Although many people do not get enough choline – too much can cause a fishy body odor, vomiting, heavy sweating and salivation, low blood pressure, and liver damage

Groups at High Risk for Choline Deficiency

Pregnant woman - According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, there is an increased risk of neural tube birth defects in babies of women who consume less than 300 mg of choline per day when compared to pregnant women who get at least 500 mg daily.

Because choline will be pulled from the mother's blood to supply adequate amounts to the fetus, pregnant and lactating women have higher choline needs, yet only 5% get enough, according to one study.

Endurance athletes — Endurance exercises, like marathons and triathlons, can deplete choline levels. Studies show that supplementing with choline before these types of stressful exercises can help keep the levels of choline in the blood from getting too low.

People who drink a lot of alcohol — Excess alcohol consumption can increase your need for more choline while simultaneously increasing your risk of deficiency.

Postmenopausal women — Postmenopausal women have lower estrogen concentrations, which can increase the risk of organ dysfunction in response to a low-choline diet.