Introduction to Choline

Choline is a strong organic base, is a component of lecithin, is also present in the sphingomyelin, is the body of a variable source of methyl and the role of the product of methylation, but also the precursor of acetylcholine . The human body can also be synthesized choline, so difficult to cause lack of disease. Choline heat, in the process and the loss of cooking very little, dry environment, even for a long time storage of food choline content has almost no change. Choline is an important part of sphingomyelin lecithin, lecithin is phosphatidylcholine, widely found in animals and plants.

Properties and Structures of Choline

Choline is a quaternary alkali, colorless crystal, hygroscopicity is very strong; soluble in water and ethanol, insoluble in chloroform, ether and other non-polar solvents.

Choline is chemically (hydroxypropyl) trimethylammonium hydroxide, which is an ionic compound with the molecular formula HOCH2CH2N + (CH3) 3.

Choline was a colorless, bitter taste of water-soluble white slurry, a strong hygroscopicity, exposed to the air can quickly absorb water. Choline easily reacts with acids to form more stable crystalline salts (such as choline chloride), which are also unstable under strong alkaline conditions, but are fairly stable against heat and storage. Because choline is heat-resistant, there is little loss during processing and cooking, and there is little change in the choline content of foods stored in dry conditions for extended periods of time.

Choline is an important part of lecithin and sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine (phosphalidy chlines), is widely present in animals and plants, in animal brain, semen, adrenal gland and cell content of many, Egg yolk in the most abundant, up to dry weight of 8% to 10%. Sphingomyelin (sphingomyelin) is a typical representative of neuronal phospholipids, the most abundant in higher animal tissues, it is composed of nerve amino alcohols, fatty acids, phospholipids and choline.

Choline discovery history

Choline is a strong organic base, was first isolated from the liver in 1849 and was first named in 1862 and was chemically synthesized in 1866. Since then, choline has been thought to be a phospholipid component, but it was not until 1941 that Devigneaud first clarified its biosynthetic pathway. In 1940 Sura and Gyorgy Goldblatt, according to their respective work, reported that choline on the growth of essential features of rats, indicating that it has vitamin characteristics.

Choline is a key component of lecithin and is also present in sphingomyelin, a product of the variable methylation of the body that acts on the synthetic methyl group, and is a precursor of acetylcholine.

In the 1930s it was known that choline is a necessary component in experimental rats, in particular for its normal growth. Although choline can be obtained from food and human needs of the number of animals, but many animals can not be synthesized in vivo choline, including juvenile animals. When not given to experimental animals containing choline food or do not give the necessary nutrients in the synthesis of choline, it can cause lack of disease, and cause liver and kidney damage. Accordingly, more nutritionists or put it in the category of vitamins.

The human body can also be synthesized choline, it is not easy in the experiment caused by lack of disease. The amount of human synthesis and the amount of the number required is not yet known, the clinical also found that human choline deficiency. Therefore, at this point, choline is not necessarily necessary for human vitamins, or even that it is not a human vitamin.

Choline has now become a common food additives in humans. Cholines are classified as "generally recognized as safe" in the United States Code of Federal Regulations, and cholines are listed in the European Union's 1991 regulations as products that allow for addition to infant foods.

Choline physiological function

1, to promote brain development and improve memory capacity

2, to ensure the transmission of information

3, regulation of apoptosis

4, constitute an important component of biofilm

5, promote fat metabolism

6, to promote the metabolism of methyl transfer

7, lower serum cholesterol

Choline deficiency

Long-term ingestion of the main results of the lack of choline diet may include liver, kidney, pancreatic lesions, memory disorders and growth disorders.

1, liver changes: the majority of animals (except ruminants) choline deficiency led to abnormal liver function, the liver appears a large number of lipids (mainly triglycerides) accumulation, and ultimately filled the entire liver cells;

2, kidney changes: choline deficiency also damage the kidney shrinking function;

3, induced cancer: the cause of choline deficiency caused by the first cancer-causing gene damage, and then some of the tumor cells can be mutated survival and proliferation;

4, with the low cholinine-related infertility, growth retardation, bone abnormalities, hematopoietic disorders and high blood pressure are also reported.

Choline intake precautions

Choline intake and other B vitamins and intake;

Easy to irritability, excitement of people should increase the intake of choline;

People who take lecithin must take the calcium supplement that has been "sequestered" in order to maintain the balance of phosphorus and calcium, since choline seems to increase phosphorus in the body;

Dietary moderate intake of foods containing choline, can help enhance memory;

It is recommended that alcoholics consume more choline-containing food in order to provide the liver with adequate choline to digest nutrients.

Choline-rich foods: eggs, animal brain, animal heart and liver, green leafy vegetables, beer yeast, malt, soybean lecithin.