Choline

Choline is a vitamin-like substance found in plant and animal cells. plants, it is part of the phospholipids in cell membranes and the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, responsible for muscular contractions.

A decrease in acetylcholine may lead to fatigue during exercise. Choline supplementation increases the amount of choline in the blood that is available for actylcholine production, leads to increased acetylcholine. No research on improvements on strength or power due to choline have been reported.

Choline is reduced 30% TO 50% after endurance runs. Supplementation with 2,000 mg of choline in bitartrate or citrate form increases plasma choline. In turn, the speed of aerobic performance increased, and the the onset of muscle fatigue increased.

The Adequate Intake for females age 19 years and older is 425mg/day. The Adequate Intake for males aged 19 and older is 550 mg/day.

Too much choline leads to adverse events. Subjects taking 20 mg of choline daily have reported diarrhea and gas. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for choline is 3,500 mg/day for females and males 19 years old and older.

Some of this information was taken from Winning Sports Nutrition by Linda Houtkooper, PhD, RD, FACSM, Jaclyn Maurer Abbot, PhD, RD and Veronica Mullins, MS, RD, CSCS.

Disclaimer: None of the above information can be taken as a substitute for advice from a medical professional, such as a physician.

My third book, Pocket Guide to Fitness, is available on www.louizapatsis.com, http://www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.com and http://www.amazon.com. If you look up my name on those Web sites, you will find my other books The Boy in a Wheelchair and Life, Work and Play: Poems and Short Stories.