Why is choline considered an essential nutrient and what does it actually do in the body?

Well, choline is an essential nutrient because we cannot produce a sufficient amount of choline in the body to cover the needs.

so we need to get it through the diet or through foods or food supplements if we don't get enough choline through the diet fatty liver can develop within a very short time two to three weeks and in in a biochemical sense choline is an important meeting donor think about dna methylation epigenetics Choline is a source of acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter, so linked to brain function, and a source of phospholipids, which are part of all cell membranes.

It transports the lipids in the body and out of the liver, and cleans the liver from the lipids.

How does choline fit into the broader conversations around maternal health and early life nutrition? And then at the other end of the spectrum, healthy aging.

Improving choline during pregnancy and lactation, meaning increasing or improving choline supply at early life.

can contribute to healthier babies, meaning healthier brain, healthier liver, healthier vision in the babies.

In the elderly population, improving choline intake can mean less fatty liver which is also linked to metabolic health it means better brain function better lipid metabolism and that are the areas where we aim indeed to target when we talk about the science behind choline