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Choline linked to breast cancer prevention An article published online on January 29, 2008 in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) journal reported the finding of research funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) that having a greater intake of the B vitamin choline is associated with a reduction in the risk of breast cancer. The article is scheduled for publication in the journal’s June 1 print issue. Jia Chen and associates compared dietary intake data from 1508 women with breast cancer to 1556 women without the disease. The researchers focused on the intake of betaine (TMG), methionine, and choline, which is an essential nutrient that occurs in eggs, wheat germ and other foods. The nutrients are involved in methylation, which play a crucial role in liver health and brain function. Women whose intake of choline was in the highest one-fifth of participants, at 455 milligrams per day or more, had a 25 percent lower risk of breast cancer than women whose intake was in the lowest fifth at 196 milligrams or less. Eggs and low-fat milk were the most common sources of choline consumed by women in the study. The researchers also noted that two variations in choline-metabolizing genes were related to breast cancer risk. Only 10 percent of Americans are estimated to meet the Institute of Medicine’s adequate choline intake level of 425 milligrams per day for women and 550 milligrams per day for men and breastfeeding women. “Choline is needed for the normal functioning of cells, no matter your age or gender,” observed study coauthor Steven H. Zeisel, MD, PhD, of the University of North Carolina. “Increasing evidence shows that it may be particularly important for women, particularly those of child-bearing age.” “While choline is an essential nutrient to the human diet, most people haven’t even heard of it,” FASEB Journal Editor in Chief Gerald Weissmann, MD, added. “Given that in the U.S. there is a real need to understand how much choline we require in our diet, we hope that research, education and awareness about choline will increase as a result of this study published in The FASEB Journal.” Dr. Cinque's comments: Choline is widely distributed in foods, but it's not easy to get 450 to 550 mgs a day from diet alone. I have a hunch that very few Americans are getting anywhere near that amount. The richest dietary sources are egg yolks and soy, the latter being the source for most of the choline supplements. All vegetables, and particularly green vegetables, provide choline, but you would have to eat an inordinatge amount to get your choline consumption up to the recommended range. So even though choline is quite a marginal nutrient for most people, most multivitamins contain either no choline or just a very small amount, such as 25 or 50 mgs. One study found that the greatest improvement in liver function occurred when choline intake was increased all the way up to 800 mgs a day. And remember that methylation reactions, which choline facilitates, are also crucial to the brain. For instance, there are more insomniacs than ever before, and I have to wonder how many of them are deficient in choline. And remember that choline is the building block for acetylcholine, which is the most abundant and pervasive neurotransmitter, both in the brain and the peripheral nervous system. So even though choline is not on most people's nutritional radar, it's time we start paying attention to it and insuring that our daily needs are being met. E-mail to a friend Previous Article Next Article |
