Choline - Up and Coming Nutrient

Choline - the word may be vaguely familiar, but you probably don't know much about this nutrient, which shows strong signs of being quite important to our brains, livers, and perhaps much more.

Choline started to get the interest of nutrition researchers when it was found that fetal rats whose mothers didn't get enough choline in their diets had less brain development and poorer memories after birth than those whose mothers ate adequate amounts of the nutrient. Over the past few years, there has been a rush of research, and there are now hints that choline may be essential not only for the brain development of fetuses and infants, but may help prevent memory loss associated with aging. Choline has been shown to protect the liver from certain types damage, and can help reverse damage that has already occurred. Additionally, it may help lower cholesterol and homocysteine levels associated with cardiovascular disease, and may also help protect against some types of cancers.

Although knowledge about choline is in its infancy, the USDA published a Database for Choline in Foods this year, which will assist greatly in the study of the affects of dietary choline.

What Is Choline? Choline is a chemical similar to the B-vitamins, and is often lumped in with them, although it is not (yet) an "official" B-vitamin. Although its entire mechanism of action, particularly how it interacts with other nutrients, is not completely understood, it seems to often work in concert with folate and an amino acid called methionine.

How Much Choline Do We Need? An RDA has not been established, but the National Academy of Sciences* recommends the following for "adequate intake" of choline:

*From Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline by The National Academies Press

*** Human breast milk contains high levels of choline - more than cow's milk and most infant formulas.

Where Can We Get Choline? Until the USDA published its database, we only had scattered studies of choline content in foods. Now we have more information - and there are some surprises, notably that there is less choline in many foods than previously thought. Although most foods have some choline, some people may have to pay more close attention to get enough in their diets, particularly if they do not eat many whole eggs. Here are some examples of foods that are particularly high in choline. I will include a more complete list within a few days, as well as some information about supplements.

Beef liver - pan-fried - 100 grams (about 3.5 oz) - 418 mg
Whole large egg - 112 mg choline
Beef (ground) 80% lean/20% fat - 3.5 oz patty - 81 mg
Cauliflower - 3/4 C cooked (1" pieces) - 62 mg
Navy beans - 1/2 C cooked - 48 mg
Tofu - 100 grams (about 3.5 oz) - 28 mg
Almonds - sliced - 1/2 cup - 26 mg
Peanut butter - 2 T - 20 mg

For me, one of the important messages of choline (and other recently-discovered nutrients) is that we are still learning so much about nutrition that it's important to eat a variety of whole foods in our diets, so we won't be missing out on some yet-to-be-discovered nutrients.

The material on this page and Web site is for informational and educational purposes only, and should not substitute for medical advice. Anyone having questions about the application of information appearing here to a specific person or situation should obtain advice from a qualified health care professional.