Choline is a very important nutrient that helps keep our body and brain healthy. We can find choline in many common foods like eggs, broccoli, beans, meat, and poultry. Our liver makes a little bit of choline, but most of it needs to come from what we eat.
Researchers from Arizona State University recently studied what happens when people don’t get enough choline. They wanted to understand how this might be connected to Alzheimer’s disease, a serious condition that affects memory and thinking.
The study showed that not eating enough choline can hurt the heart, liver, and other parts of the body. But more importantly, it can also harm the brain. Choline is needed to keep the brain working well. When there’s not enough choline, the brain can start to show signs linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is known for two big changes in the brain: amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Amyloid plaques are sticky clumps that form between brain cells, and tau tangles form inside the brain cells. Both can make it harder for the brain to work properly.
To learn more, the scientists did experiments on two groups of mice. One group was normal mice that didn’t get enough choline in their food. The second group was special mice that already had signs of Alzheimer’s. In both groups, the lack of choline led to serious problems: liver damage, heart problems, and brain changes similar to Alzheimer’s disease.
They also found other surprising effects. Mice without enough choline gained a lot of weight, had blood sugar problems (which can lead to diabetes), and their ability to move around got worse. This means choline affects many parts of our health—not just the brain.
There are two problems when it comes to choline. First, many people simply don’t eat enough of it. In fact, most people don’t meet the daily amount that was recommended back in 1998 by the Institute of Medicine. Second, scientists now think that even those old recommendations might not be enough to truly protect the brain.
This research sends a clear message: choline is more important than we thought. It helps protect our body and brain from damage, including from diseases like Alzheimer’s. People who follow a plant-based diet may especially need to pay attention since many plant foods have less choline.
Luckily, there are plant foods that do contain choline, like soybeans, Brussels sprouts, and some nuts. And for those who need more, choline supplements are easy to find and not expensive. Taking them could help support the brain and prevent future problems.
The study, led by Ramon Velazquez and published in the journal Aging Cell, shows how vital it is to get enough choline. It’s a reminder that the right nutrients can make a big difference in how our body and mind age.
If you care about Alzheimer’s, please read studies about the likely cause of Alzheimer’s disease , and new non-drug treatment that could help prevent Alzheimer’s.
For more health information, please see recent studies about diet that may help prevent Alzheimer’s, and results showing some dementia cases could be prevented by changing these 12 things.
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