What is Choline Good For?
What is Choline?
Choline is an important nutrient that is needed for a range of essential functions throughout the body, including neurological and cognitive health, muscle control, liver health, metabolism, and formation of the membranes that surround each cell.
Choline is an organic, water-soluble compound that is technically neither a mineral nor a vitamin, but that’s often grouped with the B vitamins because it’s similar in function. Compared to many other essential nutrients, the vital importance of choline was only discovered relatively recently: it was officially recognized as an essential nutrient by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1998.
Although the liver can produce a small amount of its own choline, the majority of choline is derived from food (or if needed, from supplementation, as discussed later in this article).
Other Forms of Choline: What are the Differences Between Them?
What Is Acetylcholine?
Despite the similarity of the name, acetylcholine is not actually a form of choline, but is rather a neurotransmitter (i.e., a chemical messenger between neurons) that is synthesized from a combination of choline and acetyl-coenzyme A. Since choline is a precursor to acetylcholine, a lack of choline can make it impossible for the brain to produce adequate amounts of this neurotransmitter, which can potentially contribute to mood changes and neurological symptoms.
What Is Choline Bitartrate?
Choline bitartrate is a combination of choline and a salt of tartaric acid. Choline as choline bitartrate is much easier for the body to absorb than pure choline on its own.
What Is VitaCholine®?
VitaCholine® is a brand that offers choline in several chemical forms, including choline bitartrate, choline chloride, and choline dihydrogen citrate, for use in supplements. VitaCholine® benefits include product reliability as well as increased bioavailability and absorption compared to pure choline.
Benefits of Choline: Why Is It So Important for Overall Health?
The benefits of getting plenty of choline in one’s diet are extensive, since the compound is essential for so many day-to-day processes in virtually all systems of the body:
Cognitive Function
One of the most notable choline benefits is the fact that it helps to support optimal cognitive function.
For instance, in an observational study of more than 2,000 adults aged 70 to 74, subjects with lower choline levels experienced worse cognitive function than those with higher levels.
Lack of choline may also increase one’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease, among other harmful neurological effects.
Cardiovascular Health
Choline is also important for cardiovascular health, with one study of 40,000 participants showing an association between lower risk of ischemic strokes and higher consumption of choline.
Liver Health
This compound is also essential for liver health. As a result, those who consume diets with insufficient amounts of choline are more likely to develop liver damage and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Possible Benefits for Cystic Fibrosis
For those with cystic fibrosis, choline supplementation may help with lung function and reduce the symptoms of fatty liver disease, but more studies on larger groups of people will be needed to confirm this benefit.
Importance of Choline During Pregnancy
It’s hard to overstate the importance of choline for pregnancy. During pregnancy, inadequate choline intake may increase the risk of birth defects such as brain and spinal cord problems, including spina bifida. This is because pregnancy (specifically, fetal development) requires much higher quantities of choline than most other life stages.
Although the body develops the capacity to produce more of its own choline during pregnancy, the demand for choline can be so high that tissue storage of the nutrient can be depleted. This issue is also considered high risk during lactation since studies show that human milk is very high in choline.
Choline Deficiency Symptoms
Those suffering from the following symptoms should speak with a qualified medical professional about getting tested for a possible choline deficiency:
- Muscle aches
- Tingling due to nerve damage
- Cognitive problems, such as memory issues
- Mood changes
- Fatigue
- Liver damage, including fatty liver disease
As previously mentioned, if left unresolved, a choline deficiency can also increase the risk of health issues such as heart disease, neurological conditions, muscle damage, liver disease, neural tube irregularities during pregnancy, and more.
Which Foods Contain the Most Choline?
Eating foods that are high in choline is the best way to ensure that the body has plenty of this important nutrient. Egg yolks are the best source of choline in the average American diet, with two eggs providing more than half of the recommended daily intake for choline.
Organ meats (e.g., beef and chicken liver and kidneys) are another excellent choline source, as are fish and fish roe (eggs), shiitake mushrooms, soybeans, wheat germ, cruciferous vegetables, almonds, lima beans, kidney beans, quinoa, and many dairy products.
Choline Supplementation
Unfortunately, many people fail to get enough choline in their diet simply by consuming plenty of choline-rich foods, such as eggs, chicken and beef liver, and salmon. In fact, an estimated 90 percent of Americans do not get enough choline from their diets. In these cases, taking a high-quality choline supplement is thought to be a wise choice.
The Best Choline Supplement: Body Kitchen Mega Choline
The best choline supplement on the market is Body Kitchen Mega Choline, a valuable supplement for brain health that may also support athletic performance, help address low energy levels, and meet increased choline needs during pregnancy and lactation. Body Kitchen Mega Choline also contains artichoke (Cynara scolymus) extract, an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, which is thought to benefit the liver and digestive health, including the possibility of regenerating liver cells. Additional health benefits of artichoke extract include improvements in lipid levels and glycemic response.
Speak to a Doctor Before Taking Choline Supplements
Choline supplementation is safe for most healthy individuals, and there are no known interactions between choline and foods or medications, but there are some people who should not take choline supplements. For instance, because choline can contribute to depression symptoms, those with bipolar disorder should not take choline. In addition, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should always speak to a healthcare provider before beginning a supplement of any kind.
References
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