Choline
Choline is an essential nutrient present in food and dietary supplements (the name comes from the Greek word meaning “bile”).[1][2] It supplies methyl groups used in metabolism and material for phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, compounds that form cell membranes, and for acetylcholine, a substance involved in transmitting nerve signals.[2]
The body produces some choline in the liver, but dietary sources are also needed.[2] Food sources include eggs, meat, fish, dairy products, beans and cruciferous vegetables. Food contains both free choline and compounds containing choline. Supplement forms include choline bitartrate, phosphatidylcholine and lecithin.[2]
In 1862, Adolph Strecker isolated choline from the bile of pigs and oxen.[1]
Reference values, deficiency and excess
The US Food and Nutrition Board uses adequate intakes (AIs) for choline because the evidence is insufficient to establish recommended dietary allowances. For adults aged 19 years and older, the AI is 550 mg daily for men and 425 mg daily for women; pregnancy and lactation have separate values. These are dietary reference quantities for population groups, rather than directions for taking a particular supplement.[3]
Choline deficiency can cause muscle and liver damage and fatty accumulation in the liver. Frank deficiency is rare in healthy men and nonpregnant women, even though many people consume less than the adequate intake.[3]
High choline intakes have been associated with a fishy body odour, vomiting, excessive sweating and salivation, low blood pressure and liver toxicity.[3]
Relationship with Vivasan products
- Choline, artichoke and milk thistle capsules (D 239) — choline, 15% of the composition.
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 American Chemical Society: Choline, Molecule of the Week, 18 January 2016 (naming and discovery)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS): Choline.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS): Choline, Recommended Intakes; Choline Deficiency; Health Risks from Excessive Choline (updated2June2022)