Choline

Overview

Choline is a water-soluble essential nutrient of the B vitamin family. Even though the human body can make small amounts of Choline your daily diet needs to include the foods to insure proper levels are maintained. In adults, B vitamins help keep your cell membranes functioning properly, involved in nerve communications. Choline is the precursor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Choline assists in preventing the buildup of homocysteine in your blood, reduces chronic inflammation and helps to prevent the accumulation of fats in your liver.

During pregnacy women should make sure their diet is supplying adequate Choline. As the baby draws down on the mothers supply for brain development reduced body levels will have a negative effect on the mother. It has been suggested that pregnant women get 450 mg of choline per day and when breastfeeding 550 mg.

 Choline - Health Benefits

Choline may Enhance the Function of these Substances

Alkaloids

 Betaine is an oxidative metabolite of Choline.  ^[1] 

Amino Acids

 Choline may enhance the ability of Arginine to stimulate the release of human Growth Hormone (hGH).  Anecdotal Evidence

 Choline inhibits the body's urinary excretion of Carnitine.

 Choline supplementation increases the body's Carnitine levels by inhibiting the excretion of Carnitine.  ^[2]

 Glycine may be synthesized within the body from Choline.  ^[3]

 Choline may facilitate the detoxification of excess Homocysteine that can result from Methionine consumption.   

Amino Acid By-Products

 Dimethyl Glycine (DMG) is produced as a byproduct of the endogenous synthesis of Glycine from Choline.  ^[4] 

Enzymes

 Choline is required for the production of Cytochrome P-450 Enzymes. 

 Choline may increase the activity of the Betaine-Homocysteine Methyltransferase (BHMT) enzyme which detoxifies Homocysteine.  ^[5]

 Choline may increase the activity of Tyrosine Hydroxylase.  ^[6]

Hormones

 Choline may enhance the ability of Arginine to stimulate the release of Human Growth Hormone (hGH). 

 Choline may be synergistic with Pregnenolone.  ^[7]

Lipids

 Choline is an essential component of Phosphatidylcholine.  ^[8]

 Choline is an essential component of Sphingomyelin a component of the Myelin Sheaths that insulate the Axons of Neurons.

Neurotransmitters

 Choline supplementation when there is a Choline deficiency can be utilized to directly increase the brain's production of Acetylcholine  ^[9]

 Under normal circumstances brain Acetylcholine production is unaffected by dietary Choline levels, however under conditions of increased demand for Acetylcholine production, dietary Choline availability becomes a limiting factor for Acetylcholine synthesis.

 When this additional, exogenous Choline supply is unavailable, Cholinergic Neurons are able, due to their ability to use Choline for both Acetylcholine and Cell Membrane Phosphatidylcholine synthesis, to use free Choline taken from the Phosphatidylcholine found in Cell Membranes to continue the synthesis of Acetylcholine.

 This process (known as autocannabalism) can cause a decrease in the quantity and quality of Cholinergic Neurons' Cell Membranes.

 Cholinergic Neurons ability to use this alternative source of (autocannabalized) Choline appears to contribute to their vulnerability during the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

 Supplementary Choline therefore appears to circumvent this process of Autocannabalism, by stifling the need to draw on Cell Membrane Choline reserves for the production of Acetylcholine.

 View Choline's Role in Acetylcholine Production

Nucleic Compounds

 Choline may facilitate the synthesis of endogenous Nucleic Acids - Endogenous:

 Choline may help to prevent damage to the body's endogenus Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA).  ^[10]