Choline: The Essential Nutrient You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Once upon a time, the vitamin alphabet included a vitamin J. While the name is no longer used—the micronutrient is now just known as choline—it’s still important for brain development and function, liver health, muscles, and more. According to the National Institutes of Health, choline levels typically aren’t checked in healthy people. However, given the fact that your body doesn’t produce enough of it naturally (and that most Americans aren’t getting enough from their diet), there’s plenty to learn. Here’s everything you need to know about the essential water-soluble micronutrient choline and how to get enough of it daily.

Why do we need choline?

The body uses choline to create acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter, explains Shae Datta, MD, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine and co-director of the NYU Langone Concussion Center.

Neurotransmitters (messengers in the brain) are needed for a variety of functions, including managing mood, memory, nervous system regulation, muscle control, and cell signaling, says Lisa McDowell, MS, RDN, CSSD, DipACLM, director of lifestyle medicine at Trinity Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and performance dietitian for the Detroit Red Wings.

Choline is especially critical for fetal brain formation and development. McDowell highlights a 2022 study that found low maternal choline intake was associated with a higher risk of neural tube defects, while higher intake “was likely to be associated with better child neurocognition and neurodevelopment.”

In older adults, studies are also evaluating the link between choline intake and a decreased risk for Alzheimer’s dementia.

Beyond the brain, “choline also helps remove fat from the liver,” Dr. Datta says, which is crucial for maintaining the organ’s health and function, as well as preventing disease. And it helps with muscle function too. A 2023 study found that older adults (ages 50–69) who consumed less than 51% of the recommended intake didn’t gain as much strength as those who consumed more choline during a 12-week resistance exercise training program.

What is the relationship between choline and mental health?

Last year, research from UC Davis Health published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry reported that choline levels were about 8% lower in the brains of people with anxiety disorders.

“Acetylcholine is key to cognitive function, and with reduced amounts, brain fog and emotional regulation present daily challenges associated with anxiety,” McDowell says.

Still, more research is needed to determine whether increasing the choline in your diet directly affects anxiety levels.

How to get choline from your diet

Choline is found in both plant and animal foods, McDowell says. According to the NIH, some choline-rich foods include beef liver, eggs (predominantly the yolk, Datta notes), soybeans, chicken breasts, milk, yogurt, potatoes, and wheat germ.

One large hard-boiled egg has 147 mg of choline—27% of your daily recommended intake.

How much choline should you have per day?

The recommendations for choline intake vary by age. The NIH recommends that adult women consume 425 mg of choline daily and that adult men consume 550 mg. During pregnancy, that recommendation increases to 450 mg, and during lactation, it increases to 550 mg.

Is it possible to have too much choline?

Yes. Although choline is water-soluble, both experts caution that it’s possible to consume too much. “You can get a fishy body odor because of the interactions it has in the body; you can get vomiting, low blood pressure, even liver toxicity,” Dr. Datta says, with McDowell noting that low blood pressure can also be a negative effect.