What is choline? Little-known nutrient may play a big role in brain health
Choline may lower the risk of dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and helps with gene expression, protein production and DNA repair
It ranks among the most important nutrients you have likely never heard of: choline. Drop the ‘h’ to pronounce it. Having enough of it could help to lower your dementia risk by 23 per cent, according to a study published in January.
An essential nutrient that is neither vitamin nor mineral, choline plays a critical role in cognition, and may help prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
An earlier study concluded that a low level of choline in a diet was associated with increased risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease – so there seems to be a clear link.
Choline helps to maintain healthy cell membranes, producing a fatty molecule that helps to support their structural integrity and fluidity so they function optimally, says clinical nutritionist Katia Demekhina, from Omni Vitality in Hong Kong.
Sometimes called the “memory molecule”, choline is needed to produce the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. First identified 100 years ago, acetylcholine is one of the most abundant neurotransmitters in the nervous system.