The 'brain food' found in eggs that you know very little about

 

The 'brain food' found in eggs that you know very little about

Choline is a compound that is associated with improving mental ability and reducing anxiety in us. But are you getting the right amount of it?

You may not have heard of choline before. But studies have shown that it is very important for our health at different stages of our lives.

Choline is neither a vitamin nor a mineral. Rather, it is an organic compound that is essential for a healthy human nervous system.

Now many facts are coming out that show that taking more choline has very powerful effects that improve our mental abilities and prevent neurological development disorders.

It helps in preventing diseases such as hyperactivity disorder, ADHD and dyslexia (difficulty in reading and writing).

This is a food that plays an important role in human neurological development.

A study found that children whose mothers took choline supplements during pregnancy before their birth showed faster comprehension after birth, which is a measure of healthy cognitive performance.

Essential Nutrients

Zhen Yin Jinag is a professor of health and nutritional sciences at Brooklyn College in New York, USA.

Choline is an essential nutrient, she says. This means that ‘we need it for our health but our bodies can’t make it in sufficient quantities, so we need to get it from our diet.’

Emma Derbyshire writes about science and is the founder and CEO of consultancy Nutritional Insight. She says choline is similar to omega-3 fatty acids and is actually the closest thing to a B vitamin.

Choline is found more in animal foods than in plants, including beef, eggs, fish, chicken, and yogurt. But it is also found in peanuts, beans, mushrooms, and vegetables like broccoli.

Choline is needed for various functions in our bodies, including our liver system. Not getting enough of it can cause various problems.

Jiang says that choline helps reduce liver fat, and people who are deficient in choline have a ‘fatty liver’

. Choline also helps the body make phospholipids, which are important components of our cell membranes.

A deficiency in this nutrient can affect genes involved in the process of increasing the number of our cells.

 

Choline deficiency is especially dangerous during fetal development because it affects the proliferation of brain cells.

Derbyshire says that the role of choline is very important for our brain, in fact, it is the main food for our brain. It is needed by our body to produce the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is a chemical that carries messages from your brain to your body.

Acetylcholine plays an important role in the nerve cells of the brain. We need them for our memory, thinking, understanding and learning.

A study was conducted on almost 1,400 people, aged 36 to 83.

Researchers found that people who took more choline had better memory, and that choline consumption during midlife may help protect our brains.

The first 1000 days

It is well-established that the first two years of a child’s life are crucial for their development, and the mother’s diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding has a significant impact on this.

Research has shown that choline in the womb is crucial for a child’s development. In fact, babies have three times more choline than their mothers at birth, Derbyshire says, which shows how important choline is at this age.

Several studies have shown that there is a link between the supply of choline in the womb and the mental ability of the child born later, and its benefits can continue for years as the child develops.

One study found that pregnant women who consumed a high amount of choline in their diet during the 13th to 28th week of pregnancy, or the second trimester, had significantly higher scores on short-term and long-term memory tests when their children were seven years old.

Some studies have also suggested that if pregnant women eat low amounts of choline, their children are at risk of developing conditions such as ADHD, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Image caption: According to one study, people who eat eggs have twice as much choline as other people.

“We see many children in schools who show attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or who do not have the same ability to learn to read and write as normal children. In some of these children, these symptoms are genetic, but it is also possible that they are not getting important nutrients in the womb.”

She says that very important neurological changes are taking place and they affect them later. We are now treating their consequences.

Experts have studied the supply of choline to the baby through breast milk during pregnancy and after birth and its effects on brain development.

She says that animal studies have shown that when mothers have higher levels of choline, their children's mental development and abilities are better.

She says that we have begun research on humans to see similar results, although not exactly the same.

Choline is commonly included as an ingredient in supplements called ‘nootropics’, a diverse group of substances that some believe can enhance learning and memory.

Choline deficiency,

on the other hand, has also been linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

One study found that higher choline intake was associated with lower levels of anxiety. In another study, higher dietary choline intake was associated with a lower risk of depression.

Taking adequate amounts of choline has many other benefits.

A study in mice found that it reduced levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that increases the risk of heart attack.

High homocysteine ​​levels are also linked to osteoporosis (a disease of weak and brittle bones).

Research has also shown that people who eat more choline have stronger bones and are less likely to fracture.

Oyen Jank, a researcher at Marine Research in Norway, says choline may work against bone damage.

She says this could be partly due to homocysteine, but also because choline is an essential building block in our cell membranes.

Are we getting enough choline?

In Europe, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recommended the following choline intake:

Adults: 400 mg

Pregnant and breastfeeding women: 480 to 520 mg.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) in the US first recommended choline intake in 1998:

For men: 550 mg

For women: 425 mg

Pregnant women: 450 mg

Breastfeeding mothers: 550 mg

An egg contains an average of 150 mg of choline, while chicken breast contains 72 mg and a handful of peanuts contains 24 mg of choline.

In 2017, the American Media Association recommended that pregnant women take choline supplements, but they should know that the supplement contains evidence of choline.

Brain Food

In 2020, 38 animal studies and 16 human studies concluded that choline supplements play an important role in brain development.

However, only recent animal studies have shown a strong link between choline and improved reasoning ability.

The study did not specify a specific dose, but it was said that the human studies used 930 mg of choline daily. This is the amount found in about six eggs, and no negative effects were seen from its use.

According to experts, there are some people who need more choline than the recommended amount. This includes women whose menstrual cycle has stopped. For example, women with low estrogen levels and people with fatty liver disease.

Derbyshire says we also know that people have different genetic makeups, so some people need more choline than others.

Derbyshire has previously worked as a consultant for Marlow Foods, the Meat Advisory Panel, the Health Supplement Information Service and the British Egg Information Service, among other organizations.

Experts say that when we eat foods that contain choline, it is easily absorbed into our bloodstream.

However, many studies have shown that many of us do not get the amount of choline we need.

One study found that only 11 percent of adults in the United States are getting the recommended amount of choline.

Another powerful source of choline is eggs. There is also a concern that people who eat only vegetables may not be getting enough of this nutrient.

Although many plants in developed countries are a major source of choline supplements, one study found that people who eat eggs have twice the amount of choline as those who do not. Experts have concluded that it is “extremely difficult” to get the right amount of choline on a daily basis without eating eggs or taking supplements. According to experts, the EFSA recommends 400 mg of choline per day for those who are planning their diet. Similarly, for those who are not carnivores, i.e., those who eat only vegetables, tofu (28 mg per 100 grams), peanut butter (61 to 55 mg per 100 grams) and soybeans (120 mg per 100 grams) contain choline. According to experts, anyone who feels that they are not getting the right amount of choline should take a daily supplement.

He says more research is needed to understand the mechanisms of choline's health effects in humans and animals.

Derbyshire says doctors are more aware of choline.

Although it's often overlooked, he's hopeful that the nutrient will soon gain public attention.