#139 - Why Choline Matters For Brain, Liver, And Cells

Most people can name vitamins like D and folate, but almost nobody talks about choline even though it helps build the structure of your cells, supports memory and mood, and plays a major role in liver function. We’re putting choline under the microscope and explaining why this “quiet” nutrient can have loud effects on how you feel day to day, from brain fog and fatigue to long-term health and aging. 

We walk through what choline actually does, including its role as a precursor to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter tied to memory, mood, and muscle control. Then we connect the dots to liver health, where choline helps move fat away from the liver, a key point as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease becomes more common. You’ll also hear why choline supports cell membrane strength through phospholipids like phosphatidylcholine, and why that cellular integrity matters for resilience over time. 

Pregnancy nutrition gets special attention too. We talk about why choline demand increases during pregnancy, how it supports fetal brain development and healthy cell growth, and why many prenatal vitamins still don’t include choline. We share daily intake targets, practical food sources (including eggs, beef, chicken, soybeans, broccoli, cauliflower, salmon, and cod), plus a clear breakdown of common supplement forms like citicoline, choline bitartrate, and phosphatidylcholine. We also cover safety, including the 3,500 mg/day upper limit and what to watch for if you stack multiple products. 

If you found this helpful, subscribe to the Frontline Health Podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who cares about brain health, prenatal nutrition, or better liver health. What’s your biggest question about choline?

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Transcript

Why Choline Deserves Attention

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Today on the Frontline Health Podcast. So we know that it's going to help develop the structures around the cell. And obviously during pregnancy, you're having a lot of cell development going on within the body. So the mother's having more cell development and the baby itself is developing more cells. So you want to have enough choline in there to help make proper cells and strong cells. And then we also know that it's linked to fetal brain development and has been shown in some studies to reduce the risk of neural tube defects, much like folate has been shown in other studies.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the Frontline Health Podcast, where we share health news, tips, and insights to help you take ownership of your health. My name is Evan Patrick, and Troy Duel, founder and CEO of Centurion Health, is here with me. There's a nutrient that we're talking about today that impacts your brain, your liver, and even the structure of every single cell in your body. And most people have never even heard of it. Today we're spotlighting choline, what it is, what it does, and why many people aren't getting enough.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Yeah, and I really think once uh once you understand what choline actually does, you start to realize that it's not some optional nutrient, but it truly is a a foundational nutrient that we need to have in our diet and make sure that we're getting it.

What Choline Is And Does

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Yeah, I think it's helpful whenever we zoom in on an ingredient like this to understand what it really is. So, what is choline?

SPEAKER_00 1:37

It is an essential nutrient that we know is critical for brain development, for liver health, and ultimately about structural integrity of the cell itself. So each and every cell has choline as a, I guess, a base of what it's built off of. So we do produce a small amount of it in our body, in our liver, but it's usually not enough for us to meet our needs, and we have to get a lot of it from our diet. So that's kind of the background on it.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

So our bodies make a little bit of it, um, but not enough. We have to go, like you said, we have to to get most of it from our diets. What does it actually do in the body?

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Yeah, the biggest thing is it's kind of the precursor and it's a precursor to a lot of things in our body, but mostly the acetylcholine, which a lot of us have heard of, which is that neurotransmitter that's super essential for our memory, our mood, and muscle control. And we know that the higher intake that you have of choline, it has been linked to better cognitive performance and a lower risk of dementia. It also, we mentioned that it helps with liver function. So it helps transport fats away from the liver. And if you don't have enough choline, then fat can start to build up in your body and it leads to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is something that is exploding amongst the younger in our culture and amongst older people in our culture currently, because of just uh the poor diet that we've got going on. And we have to have choline in order to pull that away. And then the final thing is that cellular health piece. We know that choline helps create phospholipids like phosphotidocholine. Again, it's got choline in the name, which phosphotidocholine is key in making our cell membranes and making sure that our cell membranes are strong and that they're solid and don't break down.

Pregnancy Benefits And Prenatal Gaps

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Okay, so as you mentioned, all of us need choline. You said it's it's important for our brain health, for our liver, even on the cellular level, it's foundational. Probably the segment of the population uh that is somewhat familiar or may have heard of choline is women who have been looking into prenatal vitamins or having conversations with their OBGYN about ingredients that they need to be sure they're getting in their diet, if they're trying to conceive and and during pregnancy. Um, so we know that's an area where choline is is very important. So why is why is choline important during pregnancy?

SPEAKER_00 4:11

Well, a couple of the things that we actually just touched on are key. So we know that it's gonna help develop uh the structures around the cell. And obviously during pregnancy, you're having a lot of cell development going on within the body. So the mother's having more cell development, and the baby itself is developing more cells. So you want to have enough choline in there to help make proper cells and strong cells. And then we also know that it's linked to fetal brain development and has been shown in some studies to reduce the risk of neural tube tube defects, much like folate has uh been shown in other studies.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Yeah, so we know that um, I mean, obviously, nutrition during pregnancy is is so important and probably is is one of those things that causes a lot of women to really take a close look at what they're getting in their bodies because everything is just so much more important. Um, and we would like to assume that all of the prenatal vitamins out there kind of have all of the essentials covered and have everything that you need. Um, we know that a lot of physicians out there are are learning a lot more um now about what women actually need from a nutritional perspective during pregnancy, and it's not just what they were told folic acid, you know, way back in the day. But um so all that to say, we know that all prenatal vitamins are not really created equal. Um, like I like I mentioned, we we discuss how natural forms of folate are really important as opposed to that synthetic folic acid. Um, but we also know that many prenatal vitamins do not contain choline. And I want to pause for a second because we have two prenatal vitamins, and I'm curious if you can just speak a little bit to the formulas of those. Bump DHA, which does not contain choline, and bump mini, which does. Um, can you explain why we have choline in bump mini and not in bump DHA? And also if somebody out there is is listening and they're looking for a really good prenatal vitamin, who is a candidate for for each prenatal that we have?

SPEAKER_00 6:18

Yeah, I think some of it is honestly personal preference. When you're talking about physicians, some physicians have a personal preference over what they like and feel like their patients should have. So when they're recommending, they may have one that they lean towards more than the other. The other thing is based on the preference or the needs of that patient themselves. So both choline and DHA are going to deal with brain development. We know that choline is also important for methylation and those cell membranes, while DHA will also add in some retinal development for the baby. So you get a little differentiation between the two, but ultimately you're getting some brain health. Uh, you're also getting the added benefit of methylation and stronger cell membranes when you use choline as opposed to the DHA. But ultimately, it really comes down to personal preference of the physician, and it comes down to need in that patient themselves. So if your diet may be low in eggs, meat, dairy, or soy, then choline is often the nutrient that is going to be a little short in pregnancy. Now, if you don't eat much fatty fish, then DHA may be the bigger gap in what you need to look for to try to uh supplement and get in your diet through supplementation.

Daily Choline Targets By Life Stage

SPEAKER_01 7:40

No, that's a really interesting way to to kind of look at that um for somebody to assess kind of their own their own dietary needs. Um that's really interesting that you share that. Um, I know one of the things that we did when we were making bump mini, because it is a newer, it's our newer prenatal vitamin, is we actually listened to what physicians were telling us. And choline was one of those things that we heard over and over again they wanted to see in our prenatal vitamins. Um, and so yeah, that's uh that's really interesting. And another another point that you brought up recently um is that, you know, even when you're taking a prenatal vitamin, your your diet and your nutrition, the food that you're eating is still so, so important because a prenatal vitamin, like any other supplement, is like we say all the time, it's a supplement. It's intended to fill in the gaps, it's not intended to replace everything else. Um I think it's really important uh for people to kind of know how much choline they should be getting on a daily basis so that they can look at their, you know, for if it's women who are pregnant, look at their prenatal vitamins and see what they're getting. If it's just kind of the general population, um, they can look at at what they're getting in their diet. So how much choline should people be getting on a daily basis?

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Yeah, if you're not pregnant and you're a woman, they recommend about 425 milligrams per day. If you are pregnant, that bumps up to about 450 milligrams per day. And then for men, it's about 550 milligrams, and for breastfeeding women, it's about the same as men. But again, like you say, a a prenatal may not have all that uh amount of choline in it, because at that point it might be a huge uh soft gel or capsule and becomes impossible to take, but it should just be a supplementation to add to what you're already doing with your diet. And that's the the best way to look at it, because we know that most people are probably not hitting those numbers, but they're getting it through their diet. And then just a couple of changes in their diet plus the right supplementation should get them to the levels that they need to be at.

Best Food Sources For Choline

SPEAKER_01 9:51

So let's talk about that that diet for just a second, because I mean, just just based on everything that you just said, so that people actually know what sources they should be getting choline from, aside from any type of supplementation. So you mentioned a few foods earlier, but where do we where do we actually get choline from in our diets?

SPEAKER_00 10:11

Great question. And I've got some good news and I've got some bad news. The good news is it's found in some things that a lot of people like. The bad news is it's found in some things that a lot of people don't like. Uh, so the don't like side, we know beef liver is probably the highest level that you can get. It has a ton of choline in it. That's the unfortunate one because most of us typically don't like beef liver, uh, don't like the taste. Uh, but you can get it instead from eggs. That's probably the second highest amount of choline that's out there. You get it from eggs, beef, chicken, soybeans, and then the vegetables that sometimes most of us don't like, which are broccoli and cauliflower. But those are the best places that you can get it. Also, salmon and cod are not bad from a fish standpoint.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Hey, as I like to say, you can make anything taste good with the right seasoning.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

Yeah, I'm not so sure that beef liver uh counts in that realm. I've I've never been able to make the right seasoning on beef liver. So sorry. I I hate to burst your bubble on that. Maybe, maybe the broccoli, yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:18

You just haven't had the right seasoning yet.

SPEAKER_00 11:21

Okay. You may be right. I I certainly haven't. Need to work on that.

Low Choline Signs And Deficiency Risk

SPEAKER_01 11:27

Well, to each his own. So if someone is not eating these foods, they're not eating eggs or animal products regularly, we know that it can be a problem for them to get enough choline in their diet. Is this something, what are are there some signs or what are what kind of problems can arise?

SPEAKER_00 11:47

Yeah, I mean, the biggest thing is you'll you'll become a little bit more fatigued, you'll have more brain fog. There's a likelihood that you have a poorer immune health. So those are things that you might start to see happen. Um, and over time, as your cell structures are breaking down, then there are all kinds of different chronic diseases that can certainly be fed by the fact that you haven't had the right amount of choline in your diet. So it's something to watch. And it may not be something that crops up right away, but it because your body does produce a small amount, so it may take a little while before that deficiency truly becomes uh an issue for you. But knowing that it's a potential should give us pause and allow us to have some more discipline to go out and get the right diet and make sure we're getting choline in it.

Choline Supplement Forms Explained

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Yeah, that's really helpful. And what different forms of choline are there that that people should know about? And are are some of these forms better than others?

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Um, yeah, I mean, there are there's several different forms out there. You've got cytocholine, um, which is for cognitive support. So we know that that's gonna help specifically on the cognitive side. You've got choline bitartrate, which is a little bit more cost effective, and then you have phospholticholine. And the phospholtidocholine we've talked about before really helps with cell brain or cell membrane structure. That's the one that we see more often with that. While all of them do it, there are certain ones that seem to do a little bit better job than others. Um, but the phospholtidocholine and cytocholine can be a little bit more expensive, so you have to be somewhat um mindful of that as well.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

Okay, interesting. And is there any risk uh of like getting too much of this and having problems connected to that?

SPEAKER_00 13:46

Yeah, I mean, the the upper limit they recommend is about 3,500 milligrams per day for adults. When you consider that most diets are probably around the 400 to 500 range, you've got to be eating a lot of eggs and doing a lot of other things to have that happen. And if you start to get to that level and you're overdosing at 3,500 milligrams per day, then what they've seen is people start to have a fishy body odor, which is not really what you're going for. Uh, you start to sweat a little bit more and your blood pressure really starts to drop. So you've got to be mindful that you don't want to overdo it. So if you're taking multiple uh supplements that may have choline in it, just add it up and make sure you're staying well below that 3,500 milligrams.

Why The Average Person Should Care

SPEAKER_01 14:34

That is good to know. Um so yeah, so I think we've learned that choline is really important for a lot of different things. You know, you mentioned liver health, you mentioned uh during pregnancy, all of these kind of things. Um so just to kind of put a bow on this and and wrap it all up, why should the average person care about choline and even if if they don't need supplementation and making sure they're getting these foods in their diet that are rich in choline?

SPEAKER_00 15:01

Yeah, I mean, I I think it comes down to the the things that we started out with, which was we know that choline is essential for brain function. And if you want to have an active brain and you want to not be so sluggish or have the brain fog issues, then make sure that you're getting choline in your diet. We know that it affects your liver health. So if you have enough choline in your body, your liver is going to be uh functioning at a much higher level and it's gonna be able to produce the results that you want to uh get rid of fats, to get rid of toxins, and to stay as healthy as possible. And finally, that cellular integrity that we're talking that we've talked about is crucial because that is where long-term disease can come into play. And you want to make sure that you're doing everything you can to uh not age prematurely. And if you have poor cellular structure, there's a good chance that you age prematurely and you have all these other uh chronic diseases that could impact your life.

Subscribe, Follow, And Next Steps

SPEAKER_01 16:06

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for sharing with us about choline today, Troy. Um I learned a lot about choline through this conversation, so appreciate it. And um, yeah, to all our listeners out there, whether you're optimizing your own health or you're looking at something like a prenatal vitamin, choline is one of those nutrients that is definitely worth paying attention to. Um, so we're gonna wrap up the episode. And as always, we want to let you know, uh, encourage you, go out and take ownership of your health because you are your best health advocate. We'll see you next time. If you enjoyed what you heard today on the podcast, please consider subscribing and leaving us a review. We would love to hear your comments or questions about anything we've talked about on the show. For more health news, tips, and insights, follow us at Centurion Health on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube. And for safe, effective, and affordable healthcare products made in the USA to help you elevate your health in life, visit centurion.health. We look forward to you joining us next time on the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion.