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Choline helps metabolize fats into energy
Technically, choline is not really a vitamin because -- like other less prominent B complex vitamins -- your body manufactures it.
However, water-soluble choline helps you metabolize fats into energy and protects your liver from damage due to illness. Choline also promotes normal neurological function, as a constituent of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that sends messages between your nerve fibers, and as part of myelin, a nerve fiber covering.
Choline is found in foods that contain lecithin and a number of other sources.
Quick Facts About Choline
- There is no RDA, but the average daily intake is 300 to 1,000 mg per day for healthy adults.
- Some foods rich in choline are egg yolks, organ meats, and soybeans (all of which contain lecithin), cabbage, cauliflower, legumes, and whole-grain products.
- Clinical deficiencies of choline are not known.
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You May Need More Choline if You Have (or Have Had)
- Chronic malnutrition
- A history of excessive alcohol use
- Portion of your gastrointestinal tract removed
- Recent injury or severe burns
- Recent surgery
What Works Best -- and Worst -- with Choline
- B vitamins work together for many of your body's functions. So you should not increase one B vitamin without increasing other B vitamins by a proportionate amount. Lecithin has fewer side effects and is longer-acting than choline.
- Tobacco decreases absorption, so smokers may require supplemental choline.
Forms Available
- Individual supplements as tablets or capsules
- A constituent of many B complex and multivitamin/mineral preparations
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Chemical Forms
- Choline bitartrate
- Choline dihydrogen citrate
- Phosphatidylcholine (Lecithin)
Comments on Choline
- Lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) is a natural source of choline. It also contains other fat-soluble nutrients. Lecithin supplements typically contain 10% to 20% phospatidylcholine, although you can get some that contain as much as 90%.
- Your body absorbs lecithin better than choline.
- Many lecithin products contain 50% lipids. This is a lot of fat if you plan to use high doses.
- Choline is necessary for the production of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) and phosphatidylcholine, a substance found in cell membranes.
- Phosphatidylcholine contains 15% choline. Other components are saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
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Known Benefits of Choline
- Involved in the formation of the cell membrane
- Maintains normal functioning of cells
- Involved in the metabolism of fats
- Helps maintain healthy nerve function
- Helps metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
Unproven Claims
- Aids in the treatment of athlerosclerosis
- Elevates "good" HDL and lowers "bad" LDL cholesterol levels
- Helps children with learning disorders
- Improves short-term memory
- Assists in treatment of manic-depressive disorders
- Prevents liver damage from hepatitis
Choline May Prevent These Signs of Deficiency
Clinical deficiency states of choline have not been reported in humans. Deficiency might produce these symptoms:
- Heart problems
- Impaired fat metabolism
- Stomach ulcers
- Liver impairment
- High blood pressure
- Kidney impairment
- Fatty liver
Recommended Dosage Range for Choline
- Our pharmacists suggest that healthy adults may take 1,000 mg to supplement a well-balanced diet.
- RDA values were set as the minimum needed to offset deficiency or disease, not as an actual value needed for optimum health.
- In the United States, the average consumption of choline is 300 mg per day.
- Consult your physician before starting any high-dose supplement regimen.
Dietary Sources
Food Tips
- Nearly all food sources of choline occur as lecithin (phosphatidylcholine).
- Egg yolk is an excellent source of lecithin.
| Foods High in Choline |
|---|
Green barley
Salmon
Liver
Egg yolk
Lentils
Milk
Brewer's yeast
Rice
Soybeans
Chickpeas
Cauliflower
Kidney
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When and How to Take Choline
- Tablets should be swallowed whole with a glass of water.
- Take with food or immediately after meals to enhance absorption.
What Not to Take with Choline
- Vitamin B-3 (nicotinamide) decreases choline utilization.
Storage
- Refrigerate in a sealed container as choline can go rancid rapidly.
- Keep choline in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and air.
- Don't store choline in your bathroom medicine cabinet. Heat and moisture may make it less effective.
- Store safely out of children's reach.
Recommended Daily Allowance
| AGE/GROUP | RDA |
|---|
Infants
0 to 6 months
6 to 12 months
1 to 3 years
4 to 6 years
7 to 10 years
Males
11 to 14 years
15 to 18 years
19 to 24 years
25 to 50 years
51+ years
Females
11 to 14 years
15 to 18 years
19 to 24 years
25 to 50 years
51+ years
Pregnant
Lactating
1 to 6 months
6 to 12 months
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No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
No RDA
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Warnings
Consult a physician before use or do not use choline if:- You are about to start a high-dose supplement program
- You plan to use a lecithin/choline. combination to treat Alzheimer's disease.
Side Effects
- Fishy body odor in those who lack the enzyme for choline metabolism or those who consume more than 20 grams per day
- Depression in those with a predisposition to depression
Signs of Overdose
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Fishy body odor
- Depression
What to Do in Case of Overdose
Stop use and contact your physician immediately.
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Sources & Further Reading
Books
- 1. Hendler, SS.The Doctors' Vitamin and Mineral Encyclopedia. Fireside. New York, NY 1990.
2. Lieberman, S and Bruning, N.The Real Vitamin & Mineral Book, Second Ed. Avery Publishing Group. Garden City, NY 1997.
3. Machlin, LJ.Handbook of Vitamins, Second Ed. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, NY 1991.
Find more books on health and wellness at  barnesandnoble.com.
Articles
- 1. Zeisel SH.Choline. A nutrient that is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, cell death, and cell transformation. Adv Exp Med Biol, 399():131-41 1996.
- 2. Zeisel SH; Blusztajn JK.Choline and human nutrition. Annu Rev Nutr, 14():269-96 1994.
- 3. Zeisel SH; Da Costa KA; Franklin PD; Alexander EA; Lamont JT; Sheard NF; Beiser A.Choline, an essential nutrient for humans. FASEB J, 5(7):2093-8 1991 Apr.
- 4. Zeisel SH.Choline: essential for brain development and function. Adv Pediatr, 44():263-95 1997.
- 5. Stoll AL; Sachs GS; Cohen BM; Lafer B; Christensen JD; Renshaw PF.Choline in the treatment of rapid-cycling bipolar disorder: clinical and neurochemical findings in lithium-treated patients. Biol Psychiatry, 40(5):382-8 1996 Sep 1.
- 6. Ulus IH; Ozyurt G; Korfali E.Decreased serum choline concentrations in humans after surgery, childbirth, and traumatic head injury. Neurochem Res, 23(5):727-32 1998 May.
- 7. Ghoshal AK.New insight into the biochemical pathology of liver in choline deficiency. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol, 30(4):263-73 1995.
- 8. Spector SA; Jackman MR; Sabounjian LA; Sakkas C; Landers DM; Willis WT.Effect of choline supplementation on fatigue in trained cyclists. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 27(5):668-73 1995 May.
- 9. Miller BL; Read S; Tang C; Jenden D.Differences in red blood cell choline and lipid-bound choline between patients with Alzheimer disease and control subjects. Neurobiol Aging, 12(1):61-4 1991 Jan-Feb.
- 10. Conlay LA; Sabounjian LA; Wurtman RJ.Exercise and neuromodulators: choline and acetylcholine in marathon runners. Int J Sports Med, 13 Suppl 1():S141-2 1992 Oct.
- 11. Manyam BV; Giacobini E; Colliver JA.Cerebrospinal fluid choline levels are decreased in Parkinson's disease [see comments]. Ann Neurol, 27(6):683-5 1990 Jun.
- 12. Canty DJ; Zeisel SH.Lecithin and choline in human health and disease. Nutr Rev, 52(10):327-39 1994 Oct.
- 13. Kanter MM; Williams MH.Antioxidants, carnitine, and choline as putative ergogenic aids. Int J Sport Nutr, 5 Suppl():S120-31 1995 Jun.
- 14. Woodbury MM, Woodbury MA.Neuropsychiatric development: two case reports about the use of dietary fish oils and/or choline supplementation in children. Journal of the American College of Nutrition1993 Jun;12(3):239-45.
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