What Is the Best Choline Supplement (2024)

Why do you need to take the best choline supplement?

Choline is an essential nutrient often overlooked when considering daily vitamin, mineral, and nutrient intake. There are many types of choline, and many brands claim health benefits, such as supporting mental health, improving cognitive function, and boosting metabolism.

This is all paired with the ability to reverse some types of liver damage.

Choline is naturally occurring, so you may already consume a healthy amount.

Continue reading to learn more about choline, decide if you need a supplement, and find the top ten supplements.

What is Choline?

Choline is a nutrient that assists in synthesizing two major phospholipids vital for cell membranes.

This is important because cells need healthy membranes for structure and intracellular communication. It also has many other benefits.

An example of choline’s function in the body is DNA synthesis, which is part of cells’ natural growth and repair process. Choline’s place in DNA synthesis makes it a powerful nootropic (brain-boosting) nutrient because it contributes to the growth and repair of neuron connections.

Choline is also important for making the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which helps maintain memory and muscle control and assists with heartbeat regulation.

Without enough choline, you may experience symptoms ranging from mood and anxiety issues to a fatty liver or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a disease in which the buildup of fat cells in the liver.

Rapid weight loss may contribute to this disease and poor eating habits, which would reduce your choline intake.

Small amounts of choline are made in the liver, but not enough is produced to stay healthy, so humans must obtain extra choline from their diets. Choline occurs in many food sources, from eggs, milk, and fish to potatoes, brussels sprouts, and bread.

How Much Do You Need?

Recommended choline intakes vary based on gender and age, with 19-year-old males and lactating females needing the most choline daily.

The average adequate intakes are described here:

• 9-13-year-old males and females need 375 milligrams of choline per day.
• 14-18-year-old males need 550 milligrams, and females of this age require 400 milligrams.
• 19+-year-old males require 550 milligrams, and females require 425 milligrams
• Pregnant females 14+ years old require 450 milligrams, and lactating females require 550 milligrams.

These recommendations are general averages—if you aren’t sure what amount is right for you, please speak to your healthcare provider to find out how much choline you need daily.

Choline maintains cell membranes, liver function, and muscle health.

For many people, choline can be sourced primarily from the diet. It just takes incorporating more choline-rich foods into your diet. If this is not the case, you may need choline supplements. This would be a good thing to discuss with your doctor.

Why Do We Need Choline?

Choline is necessary for many of our bodily processes. Choline deficiency is rarely tested, but it can cause major problems. The good thing is that choline occurs naturally in many foods and is also created in the liver. If you feel you may not get enough choline, checking with your medical provider is always good.

Choline is a major component of liver function. People deficient in choline may develop fatty liver and liver damage. Once it is digested, choline arrives in the liver, where it is stored, and choline metabolism and methylation occur. Recent findings show that choline is key in avoiding non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFD).

It is also suggested from recent studies that choline assists with limiting neurologic damage in stroke patients, as well as playing a necessary role in the cognitive development and later cognitive abilities of animals in certain studies.

Choline is necessary on its own for sustaining liver and cognitive function, but B vitamins must be incorporated into your diet because they work alongside choline as methyl donors and are necessary for the synthesis of DNA to assist in the growth and repair of cells within the body.

The suggested intake of B vitamins varies by age and gender and also by which of the nine vitamins you take. Pregnant women need more B-complex vitamins, typically only in small amounts. Remember to talk to your healthcare professional to establish the right amount of each B vitamin.

Should I Take a Choline Supplement?

The best choline supplement for you may be no choline supplement because you may be getting enough with your diet.

Pregnant and lactating women are the most likely sufferers of a choline deficiency.

If you feel that you may not be obtaining enough choline or know that you need to add choline to your diet, a supplement may be right for you.

People who can typically benefit from a choline supplement are:

• Pregnant women (prenatal vitamins typically neglect choline)
• People with genetic alterations in the PEMT gene.
• People receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN)

Many foods are very high in choline; these would be the first suggested treatment for choline deficiency. These include:

• Beef
• Eggs
• Soybeans
• Fish
• Quinoa
• Yogurt
• Brown Rice
• Broccoli

How Can a Choline Deficiency Harm You?

A lack of choline can severely inhibit the function of your liver. This leads to diseases such as fibrosis and NAFD, choline is also very important to the development of young children. They and their mothers must receive enough choline.

Choline is also suggested to be important to the cardiovascular system; it helps to regulate processes and may prevent strokes. Choline deficiencies may also lead to a lack of focus and motivation and less ability to control mood.

It is very important that pregnant and nursing mothers take in enough choline to aid in the development of children because choline is an essential nutrient for this purpose.

What Are the Benefits of the Best Choline Supplements?

Choline is important; many eat less than the suggested daily choline intake. Choline supplements may be beneficial in many aspects of your life; here are the benefits suggested by some research:

• Improved Memory: there is a suggestion that choline may help with memory, especially in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

• NAFLD Prevention: This is a disease that affects the liver, where too many fat cells accumulate instead of healthy liver cells. This disease occurs in 65% of overweight people and up to 90% of obese people.

• Liver Disease Prevention: in animal models, it has been shown that choline deficiency may lead to liver cancer, and choline supplements may reduce this risk.

• Muscle Health: Studies suggest that a choline supplement can improve your strength with exercise.

• Cognitive Function Maintenance: Choline and B-vitamin complexes may help maintain neuroplasticity, especially after a stroke.

What Are the Different Types of Supplements?

There are many types of choline supplements, so it is important to research to find the right kind for you.

A quick online search will pull up choline bitartrate, citicoline, and Alpha-GPC supplements. With these different supplements, deciding which one might benefit you the most can be hard. Here is a rundown of the market’s common types of choline supplements.

Choline Bitartrate

Choline Bitartrate is the most cost-effective choline supplement and is very common in the market.

It is a very good supplement to fill bodily choline needs, but it is not a very effective nootropic (cognitive ability-enhancing) version of choline. It is about 41% choline and a good bioavailable source.

Phosphatidylcholine

Phosphatidylcholine is a form of choline that is found within the body. It consists of a phospholipid attached to a choline particle. This type of choline is considered very good for liver repair and ward off some medicines’ side effects.

Studies have even suggested that phosphatidylcholine supplements can benefit Alzheimer’s patients.

Alpha-GPC

Alpha-glyceryl phosphorylcholine, commonly known as Alpha-GPC, has a comparable choline density to choline bitartrate at around 40% choline per supplement sample.

This means you absorb about 40 milligrams of choline per 100-milligram dose. Alpha-GPC differs from choline bitartrate because it can affect cognitive health and improve memory.

Studies also suggest that this form of choline can assist with building strength when exercising.

Citicoline

Citicoline Supplements are typically only 18% choline by weight.

However, they contain another important nootropic in cytidine, a key component in uracil, a nucleotide(a DNA building block).

This helps the body keep strong connections in the brain.

How Do You Choose the Best Supplement?

There are many types of choline supplements, but with some research and a discussion with your medical provider, you can find the best one.

This can be broken down into a few simple steps:

1. Decide which type of choline supplement will best suit you. There are many different kinds, which all have benefits of their own. Some, like choline bitartrate, are better for overall body and liver health, while supplements of phosphatidylcholine and Alpha-GPC have suggested cognitive benefits.
2. Understand how much choline you need to add to your diet. Supplement sizes range from 50mg to 650mg. If you aren’t sure, discuss it with your healthcare provider to find the right amount.
3. Compare choline supplements that fit into the criteria (set by steps 1 and 2). Balance the costs and benefits of each supplement. Try to choose one that is Good Manufacturing Process certified and FDA-approved. Once you find good-quality supplements, you can compare the prices to determine the best value.

Following these steps is a good guideline for choosing the best choline supplement; however, you must discuss it with your healthcare provider.

Can You Take Too Much?

Choline is an important nutrient, but like all supplements, there is a limit to how much choline one should consume daily.

The limits are based on age.

Children under 12 months old should not take a choline supplement unless recommended by your healthcare provider.

• 1-8-year-old children should not consume more than 1,000mg per day.
• 9- to 13-year-old children should consume less than 2,000mg per day.
• 14-18-year-old teenagers should consume less than 3,000mg daily.
• People aged 19+ should consume no more than 3,500mg of choline daily.

Taking too much choline can have health consequences, such as cardiovascular issues, vomiting, sweating, excessive salivation, and fishy body odor.

It is important to ensure you do not take too much choline or any supplement.

Tips for Taking a Choline Supplement

After you have chosen a supplement that is right for you, avoid taking too much or anything that may conflict with your choline intake.

These are some general tips to keep you safe and help you benefit from your choline supplements.

• Don’t consume over 3,500 mg of choline per day.
• Eat healthily to obtain most of the choline you consume from your diet.

Consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions about choline supplements.

Choline is not known to have any adverse effects when combined with other supplements or medications; however, if you are unsure, ask your doctor.

Reviews of the Top 10 Best Choline Supplements

Here is our list of the top 10 best choline supplements. This will include a little about each product and why we believe this is a good supplement.

We have included all four major choline supplements to give a range of good supplements.

This is our list of supplements, but it cannot replace the advice of your medical provider.

Contact them whenever you need supplement advice.