An increasing number of dietary supplements advertise choline as one of the included nutrients. Because the best dietary sources of choline come from animal-based foods, it's important for vegans to monitor their choline intake. While you may not necessarily need a supplement to avoid becoming deficient, you can increase your intake of choline-rich veggies and herbs.
Identification
According to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, choline is an essential nutrient that your body needs to support brain function and cell membrane manufacturing. Your body makes a small percentage of the choline you need naturally; the rest, however, you must obtain through food. Your body stores choline in fat molecules called "phospholipids."
Benefits of Choline
You might see choline supplements that claim choline gives your memory a boost. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, choline does play a role in memory. Your body needs choline to synthesize acetylcholine, a brain chemical that transmits signals involved in memory and muscle control. Your body also needs choline to build strong cell membranes and synthesize phosphatidylcholine, a component of very low-density lipoproteins that transport fat and cholesterol out of your liver.
Choline Deficiency
The Linus Pauling Institute notes that choline deficiency usually results in liver damage. When your body doesn't have the choline it needs to synthesize the lipoproteins that carry LDL, or bad, cholesterol through your blood, you may notice a drop in your cholesterol level. This happens because that fat and cholesterol is all being stored in your liver instead of being carried through your blood. In the studies cited by the institute, normal liver function resumed with normal choline intake.
Intake Recommendations
The Institute of Medicine sets the dietary reference intake amounts for nutrients including choline. The adequate intake, or AI, for choline is 550 mg per day for men and 425 mg per day for women. You should not ingest more than 3.5 g of choline per day -- this is the tolerable upper intake level. If you exceed this recommendation, the side effects may include diarrhea, sweating and a "fishy body odor."
Sources of Choline
According to the USDA Database for the Choline Content of Common Foods, your best bet for dietary choline is in whole eggs. Eggs contain more than three times the amount of choline in meats and fish. Other dietary sources include grains, cereals, fruits and milk. The USDA measures choline in mg contained per 100 g of food product. Specifically, fried and hard-boiled eggs contain between 230 and 270 mg of choline for every 100 g of egg. By comparison, almonds contain 52 mg, dried parsley contains 97 mg, and raw avocados contain 14 mg.
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