Choline - Benefits, Deficiency Symptoms And Food Sources

Choline is a chemical similar to the B-vitamins, and is often lumped in with them, although it is not (yet) an "official" B-vitamin. Although its entire mechanism of action, particularly how it interacts with other nutrients, is not completely understood, it seems to often work in concert with folate and an amino acid called methionine. Although the human body can make some choline it is generally recognized that it is important to get dietary choline as well.

Functions and benefits of Choline

Choline is a vitamin like compound which is an essential part of the human diet as it is used by the body to produce acetylcholine. Due to the lack of choline, acetylcholine cannot be produced and the body cannot work properly. Choline is also an extremely important structural element of cells, especially cell membranes, and it is essential for the process of breaking down fat for energy.

Because of rapid development in fetases and infants, we have a great need for choline in our early lives. Human milk has high levels of choline.

Choline is beneficial for disorders of the nervous system such as Parkinson's disease and tardive dyskinesia.

Recommended Dosage for Choline

The minimum Recommended Dosage Allowance of Choline are :-

• Male - 550 mg. per day.
• Female - 425 mg. per day.

Food sources of Choline

Choline is found in egg yolks, beef, wheat germ, oats, nuts milk, soybeans, and wholegrain cereals.

Deficiency Symptoms of Choline

Due to deficiency of vitamin choline most of the problem faces are deficiency on the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and other cardiovascular problems. Risk of CHD and other heart/circulatory problems is associated with high blood levels of a molecule called homocysteine. Many factors can contribute to high levels of homocysteine in the blood, but one factor clearly involves choline deficiency since choline allows homocysteine to be converted into other substances, thus preventing any build-up.

Mild deficiency of choline has also been linked to fatigue, insomnia, poor ability of the kidneys to concentrate urine, problems with memory, and nerve-muscle imbalances. Choline deficiency can also cause deficiency of another vitamin B critically important for health, folic acid.

Extreme dietary deficiency of choline can result in liver dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, impaired growth, abnormalities in bone formation, lack of red blood cell formation, infertility, respiratory distress in newborns, failure to thrive in newborns, kidney failure, anemia, and high blood pressure. In the case of high blood pressure and respiratory distress, the impact of choline deficiency may be to rob the body of its nervous system messenging molecule, acetylcholine, which cannot be made without choline.