Choline Chloride Supplement Benefits & Side Effects

Similar to the family of B-vitamins, Choline Chloride is an organic compound used by the body for a host of vital functions, most notably for enhancing cognitive abilities.

Choline is an essential vitamin-like nutrient that contributes to the health of cell membranes in the brain, helping to protect neural membranes and encourage signaling capacity. The term “chloride” simply indicates that the choline is bound to a chloride salt.

Choline is a also a key precursor in the production of Acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter which regulates memory formation, information recall, the ability to focus, verbal reasoning, and some math skills.

This article will discuss how this compound works in the body, uses of choline chloride for neural improvement, the pros and cons of other sources of choline, and stacking choline with other nootropics.

Choline

Cholinergic Supplement

Memory

Brain Health

Cognition

How It Works:

• Supports memory and synaptic plasticity
• Raises acetylcholine levels
• Promotes brain health and focus

Dosage:

Between 250 - 1,000 mg per day

Safety:

Rated Likely Safe

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How Choline Chloride Works

Choline molecules bind with natural acetate molecules to produce Acetylcholine in the brain.

As levels of Acetylcholine increase, a sensation of intellectual control and clarity can be created. Without enough of this neurochemical, you might feel sluggish, unfocused, and unable to remember facts and figures easily.

Acetylcholine also plays a role in the formation of new memories, by regulating neurons’ ability to form new connections, or synapses. Abundant new synaptic connections make it easier to retain new facts.

So, the presence of choline and the Acetylcholine it helps generate are of critical importance in the development and maintenance of what is casually known simply as “intelligence.”

Where do we get choline from? Nature has provided many sources of choline, primarily in the food that we eat. Eggs and beef liver are the most famous sources of choline, as well as broccoli, salmon, some beans, and cauliflower.

But for most people these food sources are not often enough to meet the recommended daily intake of choline for optimal brain function. The recommended daily intake for men is 550 mg of choline, while women should consume 425 mg per day. This would require eating as many as 5 eggs per day, a diet which is not reasonable for most people.

So, some people use Choline Chloride supplements to achieve an adequate amount in the body.

Choline Use for Alzheimer’s Disease

One area that is of rising interest to all nootropic users is the application of natural smart drugs for debilitating neurological conditions. The hope is that nootropic supplements can not only boost cognitive function in healthy minds, but may reduce symptoms and make repairs in the case of disease and decay.

Of course, one of the most feared and least understood mental conditions is Alzheimer’s disease, a catastrophic and seemingly irreversible condition which robs people of memory and impairs thinking.

As many as 50 percent of people over 85 will develop this condition. It has been assumed that Alzheimer’s was an inevitable function of aging, but new trends in gerontology suggest that Alzheimer’s could at least partially be caused by chronic deficiencies of choline and Acetylcholine.

Over a lifetime, our brains form fewer neural connections and generate less Acetylcholine naturally. This is compounded, though, by a lack of the dietary elements containing choline. It is estimated that as many as 90% of all people are choline-deficient to some extent.

Some researchers believe that by keeping your system at adequate levels of choline, the brain may be able to produce enough Acetylcholine to stave off symptoms of Alzheimer’s or perhaps even prevent it altogether. This area will continue to prove a valuable area of research as more studies about choline chloride and the body are logged.

Research on supplemental choline use for neurological impairments is quite promising, however more large-scale human trials are still needed. At this time Choline Chloride is only available in the USA as a health supplement, and the FDA has not approved Choline Chloride as a drug to prevent or treat any conditions.

Choline Supplements And Bioavailability

Before you buy choline chloride supplements it is important to know that not all choline based products on the market produce the same effects. Another popular source of Choline is in Choline Bitartrate pills which can produce some of the well-known memory enhancement effects of this nutrient, but in very mild forms.

This is because Choline Bitartrate is not effective at crossing the blood brain barrier, a natural filter which prevents blood from directly interacting with the brain’s neurons. It has low “bioavailabilty” – meaning it cannot cross this barrier well and communicate with neurochemicals in the brain itself.

Another popular supplement, Choline Citrate, also falls into this category. Choline Chloride formulations also suffers from the problem of low bioavailability.

Additionally, Choline Bitartrate, Choline Citrate, and Choline Chloride all are heavily degraded by bacteria in the gut when they are administered orally. This means that even if they had better abilities to cross the blood-brain barrier, only low amounts of choline would be available to cross due to prior degradation.

In fact, Choline Chloride is typically reserved for use in animal feed formulations and not in human dietary supplements because it is a relatively cheap source of this non-essential nutrient.

CDP Choline And Alpha GPC

There are however, ways around the bioavailability problem.

By approaching Acetylcholine production from different points along the neurochemical’s life cycle, we are better able to stimulate it effectively.

CDP Choline (cytidine diphosphate-choline) is the precursor to the release of the neurochemical Phosphatidylcholine in the brain.

Phosphatidylcholine in turn acts as a neurochemical within the brain and gets taken up by your neurons to form part of the cell membrane. From here, it can be converted into Acetylcholine when needed to restore depleted levels in your neuronal vesicles.

On the other end of the process, Alpha GPC (L-Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine, Choline Alfoscerate) is naturally broken down into Acetylcholine when it reaches your neurons, causing an immediate increase in neurotransmitter levels.

Either one of these supplements is a more effective method for boosting brain activity and reaping the effects of choline supplements than Choline Chloride.

Combining Choline with Other Nootropics

Choline Chloride and other choline supplements are often taken in stacks with other cognitive-enhancing nootropics like Piracetam. This class of nootropic, known as racetams, works similarly to choline by helping the brain to generate higher levels of Acetylcholine.

If Acetylcholine production is over-stimulated with a racetram, the user might experience negative side effects like headaches or fatigue. Choline can act like a “back-up” support for the Piracetam, helping balance Acetylcholine levels and dispelling the side effects in the process.

Alpha GPC is frequently paired with Piracetam for this reason. Not only will the Choline negate any side effects, it will also enhance the positive benefits of other nootropics like Aniracetam, lifting mood, enhancing energy, and improving recall and focus.

Whether it is acquired through food sources like eggs and liver, or taken as a dietary supplement such as CDP Choline or Alpha GPC, Choline is an essential part of any mental “diet.” By stimulating neurochemicals which aid in memory, mental clarity, and natural energy, this naturally occurring compound is the perfect partner to, and booster of, natural intelligence.

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