Research Library
This research library is a collection of choline research published in respected peer-reviewed journals. The library includes brief overviews of the research focus areas and links to study abstracts, as well as links to the journals where you can download full-text research manuscripts. The library is organized according to the following research focus areas:
Fetal Development, Memory and Cognition
Fetal Development, Memory & Cognition
Research shows that choline plays an important role in fetal brain development. Animal studies have shown that choline affects the areas of the brain responsible for memory function and life-long learning ability. Maternal choline intake is critical not only for proper fetal brain development, but also for maintaining normal maternal homocysteine levels. Elevated maternal homocysteine has been associated with an increased incidence of birth defects. Women with diets deficient in choline have a four times greater risk of their babies to have neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Additionally higher levels of total blood choline are associated with a 2.5-fold reduction in risk for neural tube birth defects.
- Molloy, AM, et al. Choline and homocysteine Interrelations in umbilical cord and maternal plasma at delivery. AJCN 2005; 82: 836-842.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Shaw GM, et al. Choline and risk of neural tube defects in a folate-fortified population, Am J Epidemiol 2009;20:714-9
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Shaw, GM, et al. Periconceptional dietary intake of choline and betaine and neural tube defects in offspring. Am J Epidemiol 2004; 160:102-109.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Velzing-Aarts, et al. Plasma choline and betaine and their relation to plasma homocysteine in normal pregnancy. AJCN 2005; 81 (6):1383-1389.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Zeisel, SH. Choline: Needed for normal development of memory. JACN 2000; 19: 528S-531S.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Zeisel , SH. Choline: Critical role during fetal development and dietary requirements in adults. Annu Rev Nutr 2006;26:5.1-5.22.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Zeisel, SH. Nutritional importance of choline for brain development. JACN 2004; 23: 621S-626S.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text.
Heart Health
Choline, like folate, is involved in breaking down homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood that may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have found that dietary choline deficiency is associated with increased plasma homocysteine. Alternatively, emerging research shows that higher dietary intake of choline and betaine, an oxidative end product of choline, are related to lower homocysteine concentrations.
- Cho, et al. Dietary choline and betaine assessed by food-frequency questionnaire in relation to plasma total homocysteine concentration in the Framingham Offspring Study. AJCN 2006; 83:905-11.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - da Costa, KA, et al. Choline deficiency in mice and humans is associated with increased plasma homocysteine concentration after a methionine load. AJCN 2005; 81: 440-444.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Detopoulou , et al. Dietary choline and betaine intakes in relation to concentrations of inflammatory markers in healthy adults: the ATTICA study.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text.
Breast Cancer Risk
There is a growing body of evidence which suggests that adequate choline consumption is linked to a decreased risk of breast cancer. Women who reported higher consumption of choline-rich foods such as eggs during adolescence had a smaller risk of developing breast cancer as adults. Specifically, eating one egg per day was associated with an 18 percent reduced risk of breast cancer. Similar research showed that those who consumed the most fruit, vegetables and eggs were significantly less likely to have breast cancer. For those that reported eating at least six eggs per week, the risk of developing breast cancer was 44 percent lower than for those who ate two or less eggs per week.
- Frazier AL, et al. Adolescent diet and risk of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 2003; 5: R59-R64.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Shannon J, et al. Food and botanical groupings and risk of breast cancer: A case-control study in Shanghai, China. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2005; 14 (1): 81-90.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Xu X, et al. Choline metabolism and risk of breast cancer in a population-based study. The FASEB Journal, June 2008.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text.
Choline Needs & Consumption
Only ten percent of Americans currently meet the recommended Adequate Intake (AI) for choline, identifying a need to increase choline intake across the population. According to the Institute of Medicine, adequate choline intake is 550 milligrams per day for men and breastfeeding women, 425 milligrams per day for women, and 450 milligrams per day for pregnant women.
- Abratte C, et al. Folate intake and ethnicity influence choline status in young women. Presented at Experimental Biology, 2007.
Click here for abstract. - Dietary Reference Intakes, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2006.
- Fisher LM, et al. Sex and menopausal status influence human dietary requirements for the nutrient choline. Am J of Clin Nutr 2007; Vol. 85, No. 5, 1275-1285.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Jensen HH, et al. Choline in the diets of the US population: NHANES, 2003-2004. The FASEB Journal 2007; 21:lb219.
Click here for abstract. Click here to purchase full-text. - Keast DR. Food sources of choline in the diets of U.S. older adults: NHANES, 1999-2004. Presented at the 31st National Nutrient Data Bank Conference in Washington, D.C., May 2007.
Click here for abstract.
  
|
