Choline
Recommended Intake
Choline Deficiency
Choline Toxicity
Major Food Sources
Populations at Risk for Choline Deficiency
Choline and Alzheimer's Disease
Tips for Increasing Your Choline Intake

Choline is not a vitamin or a mineral, but it is an essential nutrient. Although the body can synthesize choline in small amounts, it cannot make enough to maintain health. Choline must be consumed in the diet.
Choline is a component of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is involved in sleep, muscle movement, pain regulation, learning, and memory formation.

Most of the body's choline is found in phospholipids, which are fat molecules that contain phosphate. The most common of these is phosphatidylcholine, better known as lecithin.

Choline's functions include:

• helping to maintain the structure of the cell membrane
• aiding in the transmission of nerve impulses
• playing a role in the conversion of homocysteine to methionine (elevated levels of homocysteine have been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease)
• helping to transport fat and cholesterol out of the liver

Recommended Intake

Choline Deficiency
Although the body can synthesize choline, it cannot synthesize enough to maintain proper health and functioning. Therefore it is possible to become deficient if your diet does not contain enough choline. Because choline is essential for the transport of fat from the liver, deficiency symptoms include:

• fatty accumulation in the liver, called "fatty" liver
• liver damage

Choline Toxicity
The tolerable upper intake level (UL) for choline from dietary sources and supplements combined is 3.5 grams per day. Symptoms of choline toxicity include:

• fishy body odor
• vomiting
• increased salivation
• increased sweating
• hypotensive effect (lowering blood pressure)

Major Food Sources
Very little information is available on the choline content of foods; approximate values are given in the following table.

Source: The Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center

Populations at Risk for Choline Deficiency
The following populations may be at risk for a choline deficiency and may benefit from a supplement:

• Strict vegetarians. A choline deficiency may result if you do not eat animal products, including milk or eggs.
• Endurance athletes. Studies have shown that some choline may be lost during intense training.
• People who consume excessive amounts of alcohol. Many alcoholics tend to have diets that are lacking in several essential nutrients, including choline.

Choline and Alzheimer's Disease
Because choline is a precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is important in learning and memory, it has been studied for a possible role in Alzheimer's disease. Numerous animal studies have been conducted. Results have shown enhanced brain function when rats and mice were given supplemental choline or lecithin. However, studies that have tried to replicate these results in humans have come up short. A review of published clinical trials that involved human participants found that no clear cognitive benefit was reported from supplementing with lecithin.

Tips for Increasing Your Choline Intake
To help increase your intake of choline:

• At breakfast, spread a little peanut butter on your bagel or toast in place of butter or cream cheese.
• Hard boil an egg and grate it onto a salad at lunchtime.
• For dinner, drink a glass of milk instead of soda.
• Try sprinkling granular lecithin on top of your cereal, oatmeal, salad, or stir-fry. Just a few teaspoons is all you need.
• If you are taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement, make sure that it contains choline or lecithin.