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Choline's copycat cousin
Inositol works much like a B complex vitamin. Like choline, it helps your body metabolize energy and behaves much in the same way as choline. Like its cousin choline, it helps regulate your lipids and acts to help you digest and absorb fats from your liver. In addition, it makes neurotransmitters, promotes normal neurological function, and creates cell membranes. But unlike choline, inositol is made by the naturally occurring bacteria in your intestines.
As with other nonessential B vitamins, you can get inositol from a wide variety of foods as myoinositol (its nutritionally active form) or from friendly intestinal bacteria that convert phytic acid from the fiber found in plant sources into inositol.
Quick Facts About Inositol
- No RDA has been established, but the average daily intake is 100 to 500 mg per day for healthy adults; in the United States, adults consume about 1 gram of myoinositol daily from their diets.
- Some foods rich in inositol are brewer's yeast, cantaloupe, citrus fruits (though not lemons), dried beans, lean meats, lentils, nuts, organ meats, and whole-grain products.
- No cases of natural inositol deficiency have been reported in humans; only in animals.
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You May Need More Inositol if You Have (or Have Had)
- Chronic malnutrition
- Portion of your gastrointestinal tract removed
- Recent injury or severe burns
- Recent surgery
Or if You're
- Taking antibiotics or sulfonamides, which may inhibit the function of the friendly inositol-producing bacteria in your intestines
- Diabetic (consult your doctor)
- Using nicotinic acid or nicotinamide to lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
What Works Best -- and Worst -- with Inositol
- B vitamins work together in your body. So you should not take more of one B vitamin without increasing your intake of others. For example, if you're taking double the RDA of inositol, you should take double the RDA of all other B vitamins.
- Absorption is maximized when ingested in a well-balanced vitamin/mineral supplement.
Forms Available
- Individual supplements in tablets, capsules, and powder form
- A constituent of many B complex and multivitamin/mineral preparations
- As a myo-inositol supplement -- the only biologically active form -- usually available in health food stores.
- As lecithin, which contains a minute amount of phosphatidylinositol, as well as phoshatidylcholine
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Chemical Forms
- Phytic acid (myo-inositol hexaphosphate)
- Myo-inositol
- Phosphatidylinositol
Comments on Inositol
- Phytic acid is found in plants and after ingestion is converted into myo-inositol.
- Myo-inositol is the only form of inositol that has any biological activity.
- Phosphatidylinositol is a component of the phospholipid membrane around cells.
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Known Benefits of Inositol
- Aids in transporting lipids out of the liver
- Involved in formation of neurotransmitters and phospholipids
- Helps metabolize fatty acids
Unproven Claims
- Aids in treating diabetic peripheral neuropathy
- Reduces anxiety
- Maintains healthy hair and prevents hair loss
Inositol May Prevent These Signs of Deficiency
Clinical deficiency states of inositol have not been reported in humans. Deficiency may produce these symptoms:
- Constipation
- Dry scaly skin
- High levels of cholesterol
Recommended Dosage Range for Inositol
- Our pharmacists suggest that healthy adults may take between 100 to 500 mg daily to supplement a well-balanced diet.
- No RDA has been established for any age group.
- In the United States, the average consumption of inositol is 1,000 mg per day.
- Consult your physician before starting any high-dose supplement regimen.
Dietary Sources
Food Tips
- Inositol is found in all the major food groups.
| Foods High in Inositol | Serving Size | Amount of Inositol | Units |
|---|
Orange
Orange juice, frozen concentrate
Whole wheat bread
Grapefruit juice, frozen concentrate
Grapefruit
Cantaloupe, fresh
| 1
1/2 cup
1 slice
1/2 cup
1
1
| 307
245
288
456
400
1340
| mg
mg
mg
mg
mg
mg
|
When and How to Take Inositol
- Swallow tablets whole with a glass of water.
- Take with food or immediately after meals to enhance absorption.
What Not to Take with Inositol
- Caffeine may reduce inositol concentrations in the body.
Storage
- Refrigerate in a sealed container because inositol can go rancid rapidly.
- Keep inositol in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and air.
- Don't store inositol in your bathroom medicine cabinet. Heat and moisture may make it less effective.
- Store safely out of children's reach.
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Warnings
Consult a physician before use or do not use inositol if:- You are about to start a high-dose supplement program.
Side Effects
- No known toxicity from oral administrations of 3 grams per day for short periods.
Signs of Overdose
None anticipated.
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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. Cockroft DL; Brook FA; Copp AJ.Inositol deficiency increases the susceptibility to neural tube defects of genetically predisposed (curly tail) mouse embryos in vitro. Teratology, 45(2):223-32 1992 Feb.
- 2. Hallman M; Bry K; Hoppu K; Lappi M; Pohjavuori M.Inositol supplementation in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med, 326(19):1233-9 1992 May 7.
- 3. Levine J.Controlled trials of inositol in psychiatry. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol, 7(2):147-55 1997 May.
- 4. Levine J; Kurtzman L; Rapoport A; Zimmerman J; Bersudsky Y; Shapiro J; Belmaker RH; Agam G.CSF inositol does not predict antidepressant response to inositol. Short communication. J Neural Transm, 103(12):1457-62 1996.
- 5. Levine J; Goldberger I; Rapaport A; Schwartz M; Schield C; Elizur A; Belmaker RH; Shapiro J; Agam G.CSF inositol in schizophrenia and high-dose inositol treatment of schizophrenia. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol, 4(4):487-90 1994 Dec.
- 6. Levine J; Barak Y; Gonzalves M; Szor H; Elizur A; Kofman O; Belmaker RH.Double-blind, controlled trial of inositol treatment of depression. Am J Psychiatry, 152(5):792-4 1995 May.
- 7. Shamsuddin AM.Inositol phosphates have novel anticancer function. J Nutr, 125(3 Suppl):725S-732S 1995 Mar.
- 8. Hallman M; Pohjavuori M; Bry K.Inositol supplementation in respiratory distress syndrome. Lung, 168 Suppl():877-82 1990.
- 9. Benjamin J; Agam G; Levine J; Bersudsky Y; Kofman O; Belmaker RH.Inositol treatment in psychiatry. Psychopharmacol Bull, 31(1):167-75 1995.
- 10. Barak Y; Levine J; Glasman A; Elizur A; Belmaker RH.Inositol treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, cross-over placebo controlled trial. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry, 20(4):729-35 1996 May.
- 11. Fux M; Levine J; Aviv A; Belmaker RH.Inositol treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Am J Psychiatry, 153(9):1219-21 1996 Sep.
- 12. Kaplan Z; Amir M; Swartz M; Levine J.Inositol treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Anxiety, 2(1):51-2 1996.
- 13. Levine J; Rapaport A; Lev L; Bersudsky Y; Kofman O; Belmaker RH; Shapiro J; Agam G.Inositol treatment raises CSF inositol levels. Brain Res, 627(1):168-70 1993 Nov 5.
- 14. Levine J; Witztum E; Greenberg BD; Barak Y.Inositol-induced mania? [letter]. Am J Psychiatry, 153(6):839 1996 Jun.
- 15. Majerus PW.Inositols do it all. Genes Dev, 10(9):1051-3 1996 May 1.
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