Your brain needs a steady stream of “building materials” to make the neural connections it uses for sending and receiving messages.
Choline is one of your brain’s top requirements… and it uses massive quantities.
Without it, you’re in trouble.
Today, I’ll show you why it’s so important, how to make sure you never run out, and how it might help you avoid the debilitating effects of dementia.
How Choline Makes Your Brain Better
Supporting research reveals what integrative doctors have known for decades… dementia has its roots in nutrient deficiencies.1
Especially choline.
Choline is the precursor to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in your brain responsible for the continual communication between your nerve cells and your brain.
As levels of acetylcholine drop, your brain starts to “misfire.”
You lose focus, your memory gets fuzzy, and you forget why you went to the grocery store.
Eventually, your body “cannibalizes” other sources of choline throughout your body because your brain is so desperate to make acetylcholine. This puts your body at war with itself, and sends your cognitive ability into a tailspin.
The process starts as a nutritional deficiency but over time progresses to loss of mental performance I call Brain Deficiency Syndrome.
How to Get More Choline in Your Diet
- Beef liver or chicken liver: A small 2.4 oz piece of beef liver will meet most people’s daily requirement for choline at 290 mg. While a similar sized chicken liver will only give you 222 mg of choline, you can easily supplement with other choline-rich foods to help reach your choline intake for the day.
Liver is also a nutrient powerhouse, containing high amounts of vitamin A, B12, copper and other vitamins and minerals. I recommend eating liver at least once a week, but never more than twice. Too much vitamin A or copper can eventually cause other health problems later on. - Eggs: Another great source of choline are eggs. Eating just one egg will give you a quarter of your daily choline needs.2 I recommend eating between 1 to 2 eggs a day. Consider eating them raw for maximum absorption.
While many of my patients are concerned about things like salmonella, the threat of salmonella is quite low. As long as the eggs are organic and the chickens are living in clean environments where they are eating a natural diet and can roam around, your risk is almost zero. - Add powdered choline to your morning smoothie or protein shake: You can buy choline in a powdered form online or at your local health food store. Supplemental choline is inexpensive and has no discernable flavor.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Frances PT, et al. “The cholinergic hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease: A review of progress.” J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1999;66(2):137-147.
2. Zeisel SH and da Costa K. “Choline: An essential nutrient for public health.” Nutr Rev. 2009;67(11): 615–623.