CHOLINE

General - water-soluble;

• Choline can be produced in the body if diet contains sufficient protein;
• Choline precursor is the essential amino acid methionine;
• A key component of lecithin;
• History: synthesized in 1866; identified as factor preventing fat accumulation in liver of dogs in 1937; biosynthesis pathway identified in 1941; route for incorporation into lecithin identified in 1956;

Nutrition

• Sources: lecithin, egg yolks, soy beans, liver, fish, whole grains, legumes, fatty natural foods, cauliflower, cabbage;
• Supplements: lipotropics, B-complex, multi-vitamin, multi-mineral-vitamin formulations;
• Absorption: from duodenum & along entire small intestine;
• Storage: higher quantities found in liver; distributed throughout body in cell membranes;
• Metabolism: choline forms 10% of lecithin; synthesized from methionine, with help of B-12 & folic acid; carbohydrate loading increases liver triglyceride synthesis & increases need for choline-containing lipoprotein envelopes; increased choline necessary during periods of rapid growth (infancy);
• Interactions: tricyclic anti-depressants, anti-histamines & anti-spasmodics interfere with acetylcholine function & short-term memory;

Functions of choline

• Main function is probably to make methyl groups available for biological reactions;
• Part of lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) molecule, important component of all membranes & main emulsifier (mixing oil & water) in body;
• Part of the acetylcholine molecule, an important neurotransmitter;
• Participates primarily in the metabolism of fats & nerve tissue;
• Prevents deposition of fats in liver; essential for liver & kidney function;
• Involved in: digestion, synthesis & transport of fats to cell membranes in all tissues; metabolism of fats in bloodstream & kidneys;
• Probably releases carnitine (required for fat metabolism) from tissue storage; other methyl donors (betaine, methionine, sarcosine) cannot do this;
• Provides methyl groups for carnitine synthesis (made from trimethyl-lysine);
• Keeps gall bladder cholesterol in solution, preventing formation of gall stones;
• Vital for synthesis of neurotransmitter acetylcholine; maintains integrity of myelin sheath surrounding nerves;
• Donates methyl groups (CH3) to make methionine from (toxic) homocysteine, betaine (that stores methyl groups), dimethylglycine (B-15) a metabolic intermediate & other biological reactions;
• May aid in hormone production;

Quantities

• Measurement: in milligrams;
• Optimum: (SONA) average not yet established
• Individual optimum needs to be individually determined;
• Minimum: (RDI) 500 mg/day; choline is beneficial, but not an essential nutrient; can be made from amino acid serine (B-6 required);
• Deficiency from lack of dietary lecithin, choline or precursor amino acid methionine;
• Symptoms include: fatty infiltration of liver (steatosis) & damage to liver cells (cirrhosis), nephritis, kidney damage, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis & stomach ulcerations; loss of shortterm memory;
• Toxicity: “fishy” smell from choline ingestion results from bacteria in gut; choline may cause depression in a few people;

Therapy with choline

• 500 to 2,000 mg/day may be used
• Fat-solubilizing;
• Patients on intravenous (i.v.) may require choline as part of i.v. nutrient formulation;
• Oral administration of choline reduces high blood pressure slightly (may increase vagal tone, dilating arterioles); intravenous choline lowers blood pressure slightly;
• May help improve kidney function
• May help prevent (but not reverse) Alzheimer’s disease;
• Improves short-term memory in some people;
• Helpful in treating tardive dyskinesia, a side effect of anti-psychotic medications;
• May help in Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome; Friedreich’s ataxia;
• 1,000 - 1,500 mg/day controls manic symptoms in lithium-resistant manic-depressive disorder;
• Reduces heart palpitations, dizziness, headaches, ear noises, constipation within 10 days (anecdotal); improves insomnia, visual disturbances, blood flow to eyes (anecdotal);
• More than doubled 3-year survival rate of patients hospitalized for atherosclerosis;