Choline

About Choline

Choline is a chemical that has many similar features to the B group of vitamins. It works together with methionine and folate to do its job. Choline is also a precursor to acetylcholine, which is related to the effectiveness of your intelligence and positivity of your mood. Of course, you’re likely most interested in the effects it can have on your weight loss efforts.

Choline actually started to find its way into the limelight when researchers discovered that mice fetuses that were deficient in choline had developmental problems. These studies concluded that choline is important for infant development, preventing memory loss, preventing liver disease, and encouraging fat loss.

One of the most interesting things about Choline is the role it plays in lipid metabolism. There is a little bit of speculation as to whether or not choline can increase metabolic functioning. The good news is that many people do see great results from supplementing with Choline.

Choline can actually occur naturally, as well as with supplementation. It is found in liver, caviar, lentils, cabbage, egg yolk, and other natural foods. Many people, however, do have a deficiency that can lead to liver degeneration, cirrhosis, hardening of the arteries, and a host of other problems.

While some people may have enough choline, there are plenty of people who do not. The Institute of Medicine has declared that having a choline deficiency can lead to certain health problems. To correct this supplementation is often recommended with a dosage of 550 mg for men and 425 mg for women.

Benefits of Choline

Choline does a good job of controlling the amount of fat and cholesterol that builds up in the body. There is evidence that it speeds up the metabolism, allows fat cells to move more quickly, and prevents them from gathering the liver area as well.

Yet another benefit of Choline is that it can make acetylcholine. This helps to regulate muscle function to work normally. Many scientists even believe that choline supplementation can help to stimulate muscle cells, and increase one’s athleticism.

As a testament to choline’s effectiveness, infants and fetuses need plenty of choline to develop properly. Breast milk has high choline levels and formula companies are now required to add choline to their product.
Choline has also been shown to help prevent liver damage, and even to correct damage that has already occurred. It can also lower cholesterol and levels of homocysteine. It seems that choline is a much-needed supplement for those whose diet does not provide enough.

Possible Side Effects of Choline

There are some side effects that can occur, especially if proper dosing instructions are not followed. Some of these side effects include having low blood pressure, having diarrhea, and giving off a body odor that smells of fish.

Conclusion

While there is still some debate about choline, it seems safe to say that every human needs to make sure they are getting enough of it. It’s important for many different reasons, but its potential to help encourage fat loss is most interesting.