The Benefits of Choline – Consumer Reports

Research has found that levels of acetylcholine naturally decline with age and that people with Alzheimer’s disease have lower-than-normal levels. “The connection is seen both in age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s,” Velazquez says. “Lower levels of acetylcholine may affect your ability to form and recall memories, as well as affect word recall and focus.” A 2021 study published in Behavioral Neurology found that people who got 188 to 400 mg per day of choline had a 40 percent reduced risk of experiencing low cognitive function than those who got less.

Some research suggests that specific types of choline may be more beneficial than others. For example, in a 2019 study involving almost 500 men, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, every 50-mg intake per day of phosphatidylcholine was linked to a 10 percent decrease in dementia risk. Eggs were the main source of it in the men’s diet. A large egg has 169 mg of choline, about 70 percent of which is phosphatidylcholine.

There’s even the potential that increasing choline intake after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis may help. “In studies of people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease,” Velazquez says, “we’ve seen that supplementing with choline may slow the progression of the disease.”

There are other benefits to making sure that your diet contains plenty of choline. It plays a role in both fat and glucose metabolism. “Not getting enough choline can increase the risk of fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic diseases,” Velazquez says. Adequate choline may also protect against heart disease and strokes by helping to control the inflammation that contributes to those conditions.