Do you need more choline?

[Guest guest]

Do you need more choline?

By Woolston

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-skeptic17-

2008nov17,0,2422.story

From arginine to zinc, there's a frighteningly long list of nutrients

that you can't live without. You certainly don't want to fall short

of choline -- a nutrient that the body uses to make cell membranes

and key compounds in the brain.

Choline is found in many foods, including eggs, beef, salmon, wheat

germ and broccoli. That's the good news about essential nutrients:

They tend to show up regularly in foods, which helps explain how

humans managed to survive quite a while before the invention of the

multivitamin.

But not everyone is willing to take chances on diet alone. Like many

other nutrients, choline is now a commodity in the supplement market.

Touted as an aid for mood, mental sharpness and cardiovascular

health, choline supplements are sold at health food stores

everywhere.

GNC sells 100 tablets of 250-milligram choline for about $7. Users

are instructed to take one or two tablets each day. You can buy 60

tablets of 500-milligram choline from Physician Formulas for about

$15. Physician Formulas also offers choline as one of the main

ingredients (along with ginkgo and ginseng) in Mind Power Rx, a

supplement that supposedly improves alertness and focus. Ninety

capsules -- each containing 25 milligrams of choline -- costs about

$30. Choline is also showing up in multivitamins: Even Flintstones

Complete now includes 38 milligrams of choline per tablet.

The claims: According to the GNC label, its choline

supplement " supports brain, liver and cardiovascular health. " The

Physician Formulas website claims that " most people who take a

choline supplement notice having more mental focus and being more

alert. " The company also claims that Mind Power Rx will improve

memory, concentration and focus. The Flintstones Vitamins website

says that the choline in Flintstones Complete will " support healthy

brain function. "

The bottom line: Choline is undoubtedly a vital nutrient, and anyone

who skimps on it does so at their own peril, says Dr. Zeisel,

professor of nutrition and pediatrics at the University of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill and the director of the UNC Clinical

Nutrition Research Center. But since many people already get plenty

of choline in their diets, the value of supplements is uncertain.

Men should get at least 550 milligrams of choline each day and women

need at least 425 milligrams a day, according to guidelines set by

the National Academy of Sciences. A single egg contains about 130

milligrams, 3 ounces of beef contains about 70 milligrams, a cup of

cooked broccoli contains about 60 milligrams, and a glass of milk

contains about 40 milligrams.

Even people who aren't getting enough choline -- perhaps they avoid

eggs or have a very low-fat diet -- shouldn't expect an instant pick-

me-up from supplements, Zeisel says. " I don't think they would notice

more energy or a better mood. "

But for pregnant women, the benefits of extra choline could go far

deeper than a mood lift, says Marie Caudill, an associate professor

of nutritional sciences and genomics at Cornell University in Ithaca,

N.Y. Like folic acid, choline seems to help prevent neural-tube

defects in developing fetuses, and it may also help prevent cleft

palates. There's also intriguing evidence that choline can

supercharge developing brains. When researchers give pregnant rats

extra choline, the pups showed impressive memory skills throughout

their entire lives.

Caudill says it's too early to say if pregnant women who get extra

choline can expect extra-smart children. Still, she says, women who

are pregnant or breast-feeding should try to get plenty of the

nutrient every day. " My first inclination would be to recommend foods

that are high in choline. "

Mothers aren't the only ones who might benefit from choline. The

nutrient might also help nourish brain cells in young children,

Zeisel says, although the amount in Flintstones Complete may be too

small to make much difference. High levels of choline in adults may

help reduce homocysteine, a compound that can increase the risk of

heart disease. A shortfall of choline can cause liver damage known as

fatty liver. (On the flip side, exceeding 3,500 milligrams daily --

the highest a person can consume without risk -- could result in a

fishy body odor and an unsafe drop in blood pressure.)

Despite these potential benefits, Zeisel doesn't believe that

supplements are always in order. " I would try to get my diet in good

shape first, " he says. If that's not possible, he says, choline

supplements could be a valuable addition.