The Health Benefits of Choline
Choline is very similar to the B vitamins and has been linked with the development of foetuses, in particular with the development of their brains. It is also possible that it can help improve your memory during the ageing process and it can also help protect your liver.
What does Choline do?
The body can produce certain amounts of choline but we still need more through our diet. Choline helps in the structure of our cells and it protects our liver from too much fat. According to recent research it could also improve the development of the brain in the unborn child and in young children. It is surely no coincidence that human milk has high levels of this nutrient. Some research suggests that it could also be good for adults’ memory and brain function.
What foods contain Choline?
Most foods contain at least some choline, but in some cases it may be in very small quantities. Choline-rich foods include eggs, meat, fish, cereals, broccili and almonds, in fact the sort of foods present in most diets. To find 100 foods that are high in choline click here.
Too much or too little
Too much choline in your diet (i.e. A lot more than 550mg a day) can cause low blood pressure and diarrhoea, and too little means that excess fat and cholesterol may build up in your liver. If the research on the effects of choline on memory prove to be conclusive, then a diet deficient in this would have an adverse effect on brain function.
Our advice
We recommend that you eat a balanced diet, including good quantities of protein and your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Follow these simple rules and you will get all the choline your body requires and there will be no need for any supplements.
