Choline Studied for Brain Health and Memory

According to a new study, choline supports cognitive performance and brain health. Choline is the precursor to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Loss of neurons that utilize acetylcholine is associated with suboptimal memory and cognition.

The subjects included 1,391 adults between 36 and 83 years of age with normal cognitive function. The subjects completed food-frequency questionnaires to assess choline intake between 1991 and 1995 and again between 1998 and 2001, which measured both past and current choline intake. The subjects underwent a neuropsychological evaluation to evaluate verbal memory, visual memory, verbal learning and executive function. Additionally, the subjects were evaluated with a MRI to assess white-matter hyperintensity volume, which is associated with suboptimal cognitive function.

The results showed that higher current choline intake was associated with enhanced performance in verbal memory and visual memory. Furthermore, past choline intake was associated with healthier white matter. Higher choline intake in the past was inversely associated with the presence of large white-matter hyperintensity volume by 44 percent, meaning as past choline intake increased, the presence of large white-matter hyperintensity volume decreased.

The researchers concluded that in this population, higher current choline intake was related to enhanced cognitive performance, whereas higher past choline intake was associated with healthier white matter.

Reference:

Poly C, Massaro JM, Seshadri S, Wolf PA, Cho E, Krall E, Jacques PF, Au R. The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Nov 9. Published Online Ahead of Print.