choline bitartrate, choline chloride, choline dihydrogen

Choline is a part of many chemicals within the body. It's water soluble. All of the jobs of choline are not yet known. It may be needed for your liver and kidneys to work well. Choline is also a part of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. This is a chemical that passes messages between nerves. It also passes messages between nerves and muscles.

Choline is also the building block of lecithin and sphingomyelins. Lecithin is a part of cell walls, plasma, and lipoproteins. Sphingomyelin is the insulating material of brain and nerve tissue.

You can get all the choline you need from your diet. Choline is also made by the body. Choline deficiency happens only in rare cases. For this reason, the use of choline supplements is limited. Choline doesn't have an established use as a supplement in healthy people.

There may be benefits that have not yet been proved through research.

Choline supplements may help treat neurological issues due to the cholinergic system. But studies show that these supplements don't affect brain metabolism.

Choline is claimed to help treat:

• Tardive dyskinesia.
• Huntington chorea.
• Tourette syndrome.
• Friedreich ataxia.
• Presenile dementia.
• Fatty liver and cirrhosis.

Choline supplements are said to reduce cholesterol, control mood swings, and protect the liver from damage due to alcohol. They also may lower blood pressure, boost memory, and treat Alzheimer's disease. Choline may also enhance athletic performance.

Choline may help prevent neural tube defects in pregnancy. It also aids in fetal brain development.

The Adequate Intake (AI) is the level needed to ensure nutritional adequacy. Most people in the U.S. don't get enough choline in their diet.

About 9 out of 10 to 19 out of 20 people who are pregnant don't meet the AI for choline. Prenatal vitamins usually contain little or no choline. Some studies suggest that low choline levels in pregnancy are linked with an increased risk for neural tube defects. But other research found no such link.

Foods that contain choline include meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, egg yolks, soybeans, wheat germ, peanuts, broccoli, cauliflower, and liver.

Choline deficiency in animals may lead to liver problems and kidney damage. These liver problems have led to liver cancer in laboratory animals. But this has not yet been found in humans.

People being fed by I.V. may have low serum levels of choline, which may require them to need choline supplements.

Choline may cause a stomachache, diarrhea, or loose stools. This can happen at normal doses. Large amounts (about 20 g) of choline may cause other side effects. These can include dizziness, low blood pressure (hypotension), and fishy body odor. They can also include depression and heart rhythm problems.

Choline may cause depression in some people. You should not use choline if you have bipolar disorder.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctors before you take any supplements.

There are no known interactions between choline and any food or medicine. People with low folate levels may need more choline.