You may not be familiar with this one – choline. So, we should probably clarify exactly what it is. You may see it often grouped with B vitamins. While choline is an essential nutrient, and your liver makes small amounts, you must obtain the majority of it through your diet or supplementation. It is an organic, water-soluble compound that is actually neither a vitamin nor a mineral.
It is important for liver function, healthy brain development, muscle movement, your nervous system and metabolism. Higher intake of choline is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, improvements in memory and brain function as well as fetal brain development, higher intake associated with decreased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
A specific daily requirement has not been established. Requirements vary depending on gender, age, physical condition, etc. it is especially important during pregnancy, with low intake possibly increasing the risk of neural tube defects in unborn babies. According to one study, a higher dietary intake around the time of conception was associated with a lower risk of neural tube defects.
Even though most Americans don’t consume adequate amounts in their diets, actual deficiency is rare. The best dietary sources include eggs, salmon, beef and chicken liver, cod and nuts. Cauliflower and broccoli do provide some choline, but much less than animal sources. So if you are a vegan or vegetarian, you may want to consider supplementing this nutrient.
If you want to supplement some good sources are lecithin, phosphatidylcholine and betaine. Focusing on increasing your intake through food is always safest.
Do you think get adequate choline in your diet or do you supplement?
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I think I get enough of it Ms. Ann; my diet certainly tells me I should be. However, anything to help with memory and brain function (especially on Mondays) is a good thing. Thanks for sharing ma’am. Can’t honestly say I’ve ever heard of this before.
We can all use extra help in that area J.D., on Mondays and every other day!
Ann, I remember when doctors told people to avoid eggs, beef, and nuts because of fat. And it looks like those are primary sources of this brain and heart food!
Absolutely Debbie. And where did that faulty info get us – fat and heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer exploding. We can never go wrong eating real foods the way God created them.