The Brain Nutrient That 90% Of Americans Don’t Get Enough Of

Spoiler: it’s choline

Underconsumed and underappreciated

Choline is essential for:

• methylation and brain metabolism
• mood and cognitive regulation
• cell membrane integrity
• acetylcholine production (important for memory and general signaling)
• and more

…which all add up to making it quite unfortunate that about 90% of Americans do not get an adequate intake of this vital nutrient!

Source: Choline: The Underconsumed and Underappreciated Essential Nutrient

Per some recent research, this does appear to have an important effect on mental health: a meta-analysis of 25 brain spectroscopy studies (370 people with anxiety disorders, 342 controls) found a consistent pattern—people with anxiety disorders had about 8% lower cortical choline-containing compounds (tCho), especially in the prefrontal cortex, that being a region that’s very important for emotional regulation, decision-making, and stress control.

This is notable because it’s one of the first biomarkers found across multiple anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder), suggesting anxiety may involve measurable metabolic changes—not just psychological symptoms.

As for why this happens, the researchers suggest that chronic hyperarousal and elevated norepinephrine* (so, “fight-or-flight” activation) may increase the brain’s demand for choline faster than supply can bring it, thus lowering measurable brain choline over time.

^{*You can learn more about this here: Neurotransmitter Cheatsheet}

There were other biomarkers too, for example reduced levels N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a marker associated with neuronal integrity, were also seen in some cortical analyses, which suggest further neuronal stress/dysfunction—but that’s beyond the scope of our article today.

If you do want to read in more detail though, here’s the paper itself: Transdiagnostic reduction in cortical choline-containing compounds in anxiety disorders: a ¹H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy meta-analysis

As for where to get choline in terms of foods, animal organ meats are generally rich in it but come with other health risks; less risky choline-rich food sources include eggs (especially the yolks) and soybeans.

Learn more: Food sources of choline and their contribution to choline adequacy in U.S. older adults ← eggs scored best!

See also:

• Do We Need Animal Products To Be Healthy?
• Eggs: Nutritional Powerhouse or Heart-Health Timebomb?
• The Everyday Protein That Reduces Blood Pressure

And for nuance: Vegetarian & Vegan Diets: Good Or Bad For Brain Health?

Of course, ensuring you meet your recommended choline intake through diet is a good idea for general brain health, but please do note that this should complement, not replace, other approaches such as therapy, medication if needed, sleep, exercise, and so forth.

See also:

• How To Set Anxiety Aside
• How To Reduce Chronic Stress
• One More Way Exercise Improves Mental Health
• Behavioral Activation Against Depression & Anxiety
• The Mental Health First-Aid That You’ll Hopefully Never Need

Want to raise your choline levels?

Dietary intake is all well and good, but you might want to consider:

Citicoline: Better Than Dietary Choline?

Take care!