Choline – An Important Nutrient for Vegetarians and Vegans
24 February 2020 (Wall Street International)* — In previous articles, I discussed the importance of eating little or no meat (especially beef)1-3.
Unfortunately, the food industry is a powerful force working against this idea. Clever marketing continues to increase the demand for mass-produced beef throughout the world.
So, it’s especially disappointing when news agencies publish headlines like this one: “Vegan and Plant-Based Diets Worsen Brain Health”4.
The anonymous author of this article wrote that it was based on an article that was published in the widely respected British Medical Journal Nutrition, Prevention & Health entitled “Could we be overlooking a potential choline crisis in the United Kingdom?” 5.
This article refers to the fact that choline is an essential nutrient and that people who don’t eat eggs, dairy products or meat may might want to consume dietary supplements that contain choline, without specifying which ones are available. This could be especially important for pregnant women and young children5.
Moreover, the American Medical Association (AMA) advised in 2017 that prenatal vitamin supplements should contain “evidence-based” amounts of choline6. The US FDA set a daily value of choline at 550 mg for adults and children age 4 years and older7. Perhaps the most popular dietary supplement that contains choline is called lecithin. It is a type of lipid whose scientific name is phosphatidylcholine, abbreviated as PC8.
However, over-consumption of red meat and dietary supplements that contain lecithin can cause a toxin called trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) to be produced. People who have chronic kidney disease or are susceptible to cardiovascular diseases may want to limit their consumption of red meat and egg yolks, as well as lecithin. Instead, a different supplement called citicoline, or CDP-choline, could be a healthier and safer choice8. So, the goals of this article are:
1) to describe the importance of choline in human health
2) to list major dietary sources of choline
3) to describe the toxin TMAO
4) to tell why citicoline might be a preferable dietary supplement for some people.
