Have you heard of choline? If you answered no, you’re not alone but this essential nutrient is one to get familiar with. Read on to learn the functions of choline in the body, how to get choline in your diet, and choosing the right choline supplement for you.

What is choline?

Choline is an essential nutrient that must be consumed through diet in order to meet the needs of the body and support the many functions it plays in overall health. While choline has been studied for several centuries, it wasn’t until 1998 that it became recognized as an essential nutrient.1  Since then, experts have recommended people eat foods with choline. 

Why is choline important?

Choline optimizes neurological development and cognition and is an important precursor to the body’s creation of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine not only contributes to neurological functions such as memory and learning but also has an important role in voluntary and involuntary muscle contraction. This means everything from walking and talking to the automatic processes of breathing and gut motility are influenced by an adequate consumption of choline.

During a woman’s pregnancy, choline is especially important for healthy fetal growth and development. The nutrients choline and folate often get a shout-out during pre-pregnancy and the first trimester for healthy fetal neural tube development, but choline demands increase significantly during the third trimester as well to keep up with the rapid period of growth. Choline intake during this trimester may provide more long-lasting benefits to infant cognitive function.2

Choline-rich foods

Now that you’ve learned a bit about the role of choline in the body, you may be wondering, “What foods are high in choline?” There are a variety of choline foods to highlight. Animal sources of choline include whole eggs, meat, fish, and dairy products. Fun fact: egg yolks have the highest concentration of choline by weight! If you’re feeling adventurous, organ meats like beef liver and chicken liver are some other foods with choline in significant amounts. I’ll pass on the liver and onions this time, but you go right ahead.

On the flip side, if you've ever experimented with animal-free meals, you may be wondering how to get choline in a vegan diet. Luckily, in addition to the animal foods high in choline, you’ll also find many plant-based sources of choline. Shiitake mushrooms, navy beans and other legumes, cruciferous veggies like Brussels sprouts or broccoli, and grains like quinoa or wheat germ are all great options. Plus, you also get the additional antioxidant and fiber benefits.

Choline supplements and other natural sources of choline

Beyond consuming choline-rich foods, the liver naturally makes a small amount of choline, but not enough to meet the recommended amounts. Men and women aged 19 and older need 550 mg/day and 425 mg/day, respectively.3 However, choline needs increase during pregnancy and lactation, reaching 450 mg/day throughout pregnancy and 550 mg/day while breastfeeding.3 

Thorne offers several choline supplement options to help augment the choline in your diet. Because of the role of choline in the development of a baby’s brain and nervous system, Thorne’s Basic Prenatal multivitamin-mineral complex includes 110 mg of choline per daily dose to help support mom and baby’s needs.

Thorne’s Phosphatidyl Choline provides choline (55 mg per gelcap) for liver support as the phosphatidylcholine form makes up liver cell membranes, helping protect cells from environmental and oxidative damage.* Phosphatidylcholine is also a major component of bile, which is made in the liver to assist with the breakdown of fats and the sequestering and removal of excess cholesterol in the blood. In this way, phosphatidylcholine promotes healthy fat metabolism and normal cholesterol levels.*

You’ll also find choline in Thorne’s Basic B Complex. Choline can be converted into betaine, an optimal source of methyl groups that impact biochemical reactions throughout the body. The active forms of B vitamins (B12 and folate) in Basic B Complex also provide methylation support to promote cellular energy production, cardiovascular function, and cognitive health.*

The takeaway

The essential nutrient, choline, makes quite an impact throughout the body. So, don’t forget to prioritize your choline foods and lean on choline supplements as needed to help meet your recommended needs!

References

  1. Zeisel SH. A brief history of choline. Ann Nutr Metab. 2012;61(3):254-258. doi:10.1159/000343120
  2. Bahnfleth CL, Strupp BJ, Caudill MA, Canfield RL. Prenatal choline supplementation improves child sustained attention: A 7-year follow-up of a randomized controlled feeding trial. FASEB J. 2022;36(1):e22054. doi:10.1096/fj.202101217R
  3. National Institutes of Health. Choline. ods.od.nih.gov. Updated June 2, 2022. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-Consumer/ [Accessed December 19, 2024.]