The information resource about Nutrients, Probiotics and Food Supplements
Nutrient Details For : Choline

A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organism's metabolism, growth, or other functioning. Click name for details Arsenic Biotin Boron Calcium Carbohydrates Carnitine Carotenoids Chloride Choline Chromium Copper Energy Fiber Fluoride Folate Iodine Iron Lipids Magnesium Manganese Molybdenum Niacin Nickel Pantothenic acid Phosphorus Phyto-chemicals Potassium Protein Riboflavin Selenium Silicon Sodium Thiamin Vanadium Vitamin A Vitamin B 12 Vitamin B 6 Vitamin C Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K Zinc Further Trace Elements

Choline, a dietary component of many foods, is part of several major phospholipids (including phosphatidylcholine - also called lecithin) wich are critical for normal membrane structure and function. The major precursor of betaine, it is used by the kidney to maintain water balance and by the liver as a source of methyl-groups for methionine formation.

Ccholine is used to produce the important neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Deficiencies:

Iit has been difficult to identify choline-deficiency syndromes in humans. The Institute of Medicine noted that "Healthy males with normal folate and vitamin B12 status fed a choline deficient diet have diminished plasma choline and phosphatidylcholine concentrations, and develop liver damage.

Recommendations:

Based on the limited human data that is currently available, the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences USA, recommended that humans consume choline. They set an adequate intake (AI) level for choline of 550 mg/day for men and 425 mg/day for women. Children, the AI should be proportionately adjusted for body size.

Food sources:

Choline and choline esters can be found in significant amounts in many foods consumed and some of the choline is added during processing (especially in the preparation of infant formula).

Little reference information exists on the relative choline content of foods, but we estimate the average choline dietary intake (as choline and choline esters) of the adult human to be more than 500 mg/day.

Orally ingested choline in salt form can cause a fishy body odor, this does not occur when lecithin is eaten.

Toxicity:

Large oral doses of choline or phosphatidylcholine may be associated with hypotension, sweating, salivation and diarrhea. Large doses of choline can cause a fishy body odor. The Tolerable Upper Limit for adults has been set at 3.5 g/day of choline.

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