Health Hotline Magazine | July 2025

YOUR HEALTH DEPENDS CHOLINE ON IN WAYS BIG

Choline + Liver Health

Choline has a direct e ect on liver health—phosphatidylcholine is critical for breaking down and removing fat and cholesterol from the liver, and when choline intake is insu cient, fat and cholesterol can accumulate, leading to liver dysfunction and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a growing epidemic a ecting approximately 25 percent of Americans. NAFLD can lead to liver fibrosis, severe liver damage, and even liver failure. In a study evaluating the dietary requirements for choline in healthy men and women, researchers found that after just 42 days of a choline-deficient diet, 77 percent of men, 80 percent of postmenopausal, and 44 percent of premenopausal women developed fatty liver and/or muscle damage. Moreover, several men developed these signs while still consuming the recommended 550 mg of daily choline intake, with researchers concluding that “a daily intake at the current AI was not su cient to prevent organ dysfunction in 19 of the subjects.” Another study analyzed whether there is an association between dietary choline intake and NAFLD in American adults. Subjects were categorized into three categories of daily choline intake levels: inadequate (<214 mg/day), average (214–411 mg/day), and optimal (>411 mg/day). Compared to those with inadequate intake, subjects with average choline intake had a 17 percent lower risk of NAFLD, while those with optimal intake had a 30 percent lower risk of NAFLD. The study summarized, “…higher dietary choline was associated with a lower risk of NAFLD in American adults […].” The takeaway? Optimize your choline intake for a healthy liver. When it comes to a healthy brain, the bottom line is this: your brain needs choline. From conception to the golden years, your brain requires choline for adequate development and to function at its best. During pregnancy and postnatal periods, when large amounts of choline are transferred from mother to baby either through the placenta or breast milk, the demand for choline is extremely high. Similar to folic acid’s protective fetal-development benefits, research suggests that su cient choline intake just before and during early pregnancy may play a key role in reducing the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs), which a ect the brain and spinal cord of the fetus. In a study investigating choline and NTDs, women with the highest dietary choline intake versus the lowest intake around conception had a 51 percent lower risk of an NTD a ected pregnancy. Another randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study examined the e ects of maternal choline supplementation during pregnancy on infant cognition. In the study, pregnant Choline + Brain Health, for Every Age

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