Choline Nutrition

Choline is an essential nutrient that human cells need. Until the1998 Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine listed that humans need to take choline in the diet, there were no standard recommendations.

Function and Metabolism

Choline is absorbed in the small intestines by protein transport and absorption. It is taken up by the liver from the portal vein, a vein that brings blood back to the liver from the gastrointestinal tract and the spleen.
Choline functions as a precursor (a compound involved in the chemical reaction that produces another compound) to various chemicals in the body that are vital for cell function and vitality. It is a precursor to acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter associated with focus, attention, learning and memory and muscle control.
Choline is also helps to make phospholipids, which are components of cell membranes, and betaine, a chemical that helps to form methionine, an essential protein.

Daily Intake

The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends that men (ages 19 and over) should take 550mg per day of choline and women (ages 19 and over) should take 425mg per day. Pregnant women should take 45 mg a day, and lactating women should take 550 mg a day.

Sources

Excellent sources of choline include cooked liver, eggs, milk, peanuts, soy and wheat germ. Three ounces of beef liver contains about 325mg of choline which makes up more than 60 percent of the recommended daily intake for both men and women. One large egg contains about 126mg of choline--the source comes from the egg yolk.
Leaner sources of choline include beef, salmon and cod (3 oz.), which contain about 70mg of choline; cooked broccoli and brussels sprouts (1 cup, chopped), which contain about 60 to 65mg; and skim milk (8 oz.), which contains about 38mg.
The human body also makes choline, but only just enough for normal liver and cellular functions.

Deficiency

Deficiency symptoms of choline include fatty liver and liver damage, which is very rare in the United States because the human body already makes choline and the American diet is rich in choline. These symptoms have been demonstrated only in an experiment where men and women who were fed intravenously with solutions that contained essential nutrients except choline developed fatty livers.

Toxicity

Taking 10 to 16g a day of choline causes vomiting, excessive salivation and sweating and fishy odor emissions. Too much choline also causes low blood pressure, which can lead to dizziness and fainting.