Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that your body produces from choline, an essential nutrient related to the B-complex family of vitamins. A neurotransmitter, acetylcholine is a chemical messenger that carries nerve impulses across synapses -- the gaps between neurons. Acetylcholine is also closely associated with cognitive functions, most notably memory. Although you won’t find acetylcholine in foods, eating plenty of meals rich in choline can help to ensure your supply of acetylcholine is adequate.
Functions of Acetylcholine
According to The Human Brain, an online resource of Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute, acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter with the greatest responsibility for the storage and recall of memory. It also plays a significant role in concentration, mental focus and muscular coordination. A deficiency of acetylcholine -- seen most often in the elderly – results in memory decline and diminished cognitive capacity. This particular neurotransmitter differs from most of the others in your body because its chemical precursor is not an amino acid but choline. Whereas amino acids that are precursors of other neurotransmitters must compete with each other for entry into your brain, choline does not, meaning that the more choline in your diet, the more acetylcholine you can produce.
Eggs
Eggs are a rich source of choline, the chemical precursor to acetylcholine. At the top of the list are raw egg yolks, which contain 682.4 mg of total choline per 100 g, according to the USDA Database for the Choline Content of Common Foods. Total choline encompasses the content of free choline and the metabolites betaine, phosphocholine, glycerophosphocholine, phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, in all listed foods. Other egg foods – and their choline content per 100 g – include whole eggs, fried, 272.6 mg; whole eggs, raw, 251 mg; and hard-boiled eggs, 225.2 mg.
Organ Meats
The organs from meat animals and poultry are especially high in choline, according to the USDA database. Braised beef liver has 426.1 mg of choline per 100 g; pan-fried beef liver has 418.3 mg; and raw beef liver has 333.2 mg. Braised and pan-fried veal liver are close in choline content at 398.8 and 411 mg, respectively. Pan-fried chicken livers contain 308.5 mg of choline per 100 g, while simmered chicken livers are not far behind at 290.5 mg. Raw chicken livers have 194.5 mg of choline per 100 g. Braised turkey heart has 172.5 mg, compared with 126.8 mg for raw turkey heart. Simmered turkey liver has 220.2 mg, but raw turkey liver has slightly more at 221.9 mg.
Other Foods
The USDA database identifies a handful of other foods from various categories that have at least 100 mg of total choline per 100 g. These include toasted wheat germ, plain, 152.1 mg; pan-fried bacon, 130.8 mg; chocolate cake, prepared from dry mix, unfrosted, 128.4 mg; and fast-food English muffin with egg, 128.2 mg.
Adequate Intake
In the late 1990s, the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board set an Adequate Intake, or AI, level for choline but declined to establish a Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. The board felt that there was insufficient scientific evidence upon which to base an RDA. However, it set the AI for adult males at 550 mg per day and 400 mg per day for women.
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