What is choline?

It is an essential nutrient in the brain.

Choline, a water-soluble nutrient, is the newest official member of the B vitamin family. Even though it has only recently been adopted as a vitamin, choline has been the subject of nutritional study for almost 150 years.

Adolph Strecker discovered choline in 1864 and it was chemically synthesized in 1866. In the late 1930s, scientists discovered that tissue from the pancreas contained a substance that could help prevent fatty build-up in the liver. This substance was named choline after the Greek Word chole, which means bile.

Today, we know that choline is a component of every human cell. In 1975, scientists discovered that choline increased the synthesis and release of acetylcholine by neurons. These discoveries lead to the increased interest in dietary choline and brain function. In 1998, choline was classified as an essential nutrient by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine (USA).