Choline: An Essential Nutrient With Many Benefits
Choline is among the vitamins and minerals that we need to ingest every day. It is considered part of the vitamin B group. Although it is not as well known as other minerals and vitamins, it is important to include it in your diet because it is an important nutrient.
Keep reading to learn more about this vitamin and its many benefits!
What is Choline?
As mentioned above, this vitamin is considered as part of the vitamin B group (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12). Both the brain and the nervous system need it to help with memory, regulate mood and control muscles, among other things.
It is also necessary to form the membrane that surrounds the cells in the body. Although the liver can produce it in small quantities, we receive it mainly through the food we eat.
The benefits of choline
Like vitamin D, this vitamin plays a fundamental role in the absorption of calcium because it helps omega-3 fatty acids and the vitamin B group to function properly.
Also read: Are Vitamins D The Key To Muscle Function?
The various benefits of choline are shown below:
1. It promotes athletic performance
As with any activity, the brain must be able to communicate well with the muscles. If you do not have enough choline while exercising, it can delay the message from the brain to the muscles.
This can make the body get tired faster.
2. It contributes to the health of the liver
Choline helps move fat outside the liver and therefore helps prevent liver disease. It also helps the liver perform its basic tasks like filtering, detoxifying and converting food into energy.
3. It can help prevent premature aging of the brain
New scientific research focuses on the impact that choline can have on cognitive impairment as people get older. Researchers theorize that it can help prevent premature aging of the brain.
Foods rich in choline
Since it is an essential nutrient, it is important to know which foods contain this vitamin, and add some of them to your daily diet.
- Egg yolks
- Liver
- Beef
- Brewer’s yeast
- Oats and oatmeal
- Nuts
- Legumes / beans
Choline and Alzheimer’s
A new study released by Arizona State University in the United States examines a safe and simple treatment for one of the most devastating diseases: Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers, in collaboration with the Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center (NDRC), studied the effect of choline on cognitive function. Overall, they discovered that it works promisingly in the fight against memory loss associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s.
The study focuses on mice bred with similar symptoms as Alzheimer’s disease. The results show that when rodents get large amounts of choline in their diet, their offspring have better special memory compared to the mice born to mothers who were given a diet with normal choline intake.
Also read: MIND Diet: Lower your risk of Alzheimer’s
In this way, the positive effects of this vitamin appear to be transgenerational. The effects appear not only to benefit those who receive it in the womb and through breastfeeding, but also their subsequent offspring.
Choline during pregnancy and lactation
Various food and nutrition institutes and research centers have confirmed that choline is an important dietary supplement for pregnant women. During pregnancy, the mother’s intake of choline affects the development of the baby’s brain and memory.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should make sure they get their daily recommended amount of choline. Extra supplements are usually not necessary if a person eats a healthy and well-balanced diet.
Side effects
Excessive choline intake can result in body odor reminiscent of fish, excessive sweating or saliva, low blood pressure and susceptibility to liver damage or disease. Some studies have shown that an excessive intake of choline can also increase the risk of heart disease.
Remember that these side effects occur if too much choline is ingested. Remember that choline is an important nutrient for our bodies, which only benefits our bodies when eaten in healthy amounts.
