Choline facts for kids

Choline is a special kind of organic compound that is very important for your body to work well. Think of it as a building block for another important chemical called acetylcholine. Acetylcholine helps your brain with things like memory and controlling your muscles.

Some animals need to eat choline to stay healthy because their bodies can't make it. Humans are a bit different; our liver can make a small amount of choline. However, studies in the United States showed that humans still need to get enough choline from their food or by taking a dietary supplement. This is because it's considered an essential nutrient for good health.

Getting enough choline can help reduce the risk of certain problems, like birth defects called neural tube defects, and a condition called fatty liver disease. It's also been found that when pregnant mothers get enough choline, it can help their child's memory in the long run.

Choline is often grouped with the Vitamin B complex because it acts like a vitamin that your body needs. Adults should aim to get between 425 and 550 milligrams of choline every day. Your body uses choline in the walls of your cells and as a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger in the brain). It might also help prevent heart disease. While some people claim it helps reduce body fat, this idea hasn't been fully proven yet.

History of Choline

Choline was first found by a scientist named Andreas Strecker in 1864. Many years later, in 1998, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine in the USA officially said that choline is a needed nutrient for humans.

You can find choline in many foods. Good sources include egg yolks, soy products, and cooked beef, chicken, veal, and turkey (bird) livers. Even common foods like iceberg lettuce have small amounts of choline.

Images for kids

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  The basic structure of choline.

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  A 3D model showing choline's atoms.

See also

In Spanish: Colina (química) para niños