Choline is found in numerous foods, including meat and eggs, whole grains, and broccoli.
It can also be found as a nutritional supplement.
Pregnant people should consult a healthcare provider before starting choline to ensure they take the right amount.
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That means some supplement products may not contain what the label says.
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What Is a Choline Supplement?
A choline supplement is a dietary supplement that contains choline.
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Typically, choline supplements are taken when you might’t get enough choline from your diet.
Choline supplements are widely available.
Choline supplements typically come in the form of choline bitartrate,phosphatidylcholine, andlecithin.
There is no research available to suggest that one form is better than another.
CDP-choline supplements contain both choline and a natural compound called cytidine diphosphocholine (also called citicoline).
It is thought that CDP-choline may be more effective than choline for improving cognition.However, more research is needed.
What Is Choline?
Choline is an essential nutrient.
It has many functions in the human body, including the following:
What Foods Have Choline?
However, deficiency is rare because your body can make choline.
Choline deficiency can happen when you don’t get enough from the food you eat.
How Do I Know if I Have a Choline Deficiency?
Choline status is not routinely measured in healthy people.
If measured, normal plasma choline levels range from 7 to 20 micromoles/liter (mcmol/L).
Check the supplement facts label for choline content in prenatal vitamins.
The amount of choline you need daily depends on a few factors.
No supplement is intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease.
Choline plays a role in cardiovascular health, liver disease prevention, and brain function improvement.
However, further research is needed to confirm whether supplemental choline helps.
Below are some of the areas where choline supplementation has been studied.
Phosphatidylcholine helps carry fat away from the liver.
Fat can accumulate in the liver without enough choline.
This can increase the risk of developingmetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
Heart Health
Choline plays a role in reducinghomocysteinelevels.
High homocysteine levels are a risk factor forheart disease.
This has led researchers to consider whether choline might help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Cognitive Function
Choline is needed to make acetylcholine, which has a role in memory and thinking.
Higher intakes of choline have been associated with higher levels of cognitive function.
However, that does not necessarily mean that choline supplementation can directly improve cognition.
There is also interest in choline’s possible role in Alzheimer’s disease.
Further research is needed.
PN does not routinely contain choline.
If you use PN long-term talk with your healthcare provider to determine whether you need a choline supplement.
Should I Take a Choline Supplement?
What Are the Side Effects of Choline?
Supplementing excessive amounts of choline is more likely to result in side effects.
Side effects involving the gastrointestinal (GI) tract often resolve after discontinuing the supplement.
Choline supplementation is likely safe in children in appropriate amounts.
Dosage: How Much Choline Should I Take?
Choline supplementation is likely safe for most adults in doses less than 3.5 g daily.
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Summary
Choline is an essential nutrient.
It is best to get choline from food sources.
However, research does not support some of the claims about choline supplements.
If you are pregnant, review your risk of deficiency with your prenatal care provider.
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