Twinlabs Choline Cocktail Supplement Review, Ingredients and Side Effects

Choline Cocktail is a brand name choline supplement produced by corporate vitamin manufacturer Twinlab.

Containing a proprietary blend of choline plus a variety of other vitamins and stimulants, this Cocktail is billed as a dietary alternative to morning coffee, promising no side effects. Is this product effective, economical, and safe?

As with all nootropics, it’s important to consider both the science behind the claims, as well as what individual users report about their experiences.

Here’s a breakdown of what we know about Cocktail Choline.

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

Top Choline Products* ❯

View User Ratings* ❯

Using Choline To Enhance Cognitive Function

As one of the essential nutrients that every person needs for normal good health, choline is one of the least controversial of any supplements we might categorize as a nootropic.

It plays a key role in mental function by facilitating the production of the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine, necessary for recall, memory, focus, and concentration.

Acetylcholine is also essential for neuroplasticity, the ability of neurons in the brain to form new connections, or synapses.

Thriving synaptic growth is what permits easy learning, formation of new memories, and the development of logic. So, choline has a role as a critical building block of cognition.

Due to its known role as an Acetylcholine precursor, doctors have begun to look at choline as a potential therapy for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. Research has shown that choline supplementation does not reverse effects of the disease, but interest still lies in looking at choline for preventative protection of neurological decline before dementia or Alzheimer’s sets in.

With as many as 90 percent of the population operating at a choline deficiency due to poor contemporary diets, the addition of choline as a supplement might prove to be a viable aid in reducing symptoms of these previously-thought unavoidable diseases in a great many people.

Choline also contributes to cell membrane health throughout the body, and is a well-known treatment for liver problems.

While research on supplementing Choline has been promising, more research, especially large-scale human trials, still needs to be done to understand more of the effects it may have in the body. At this time, choline is available only as a health supplement in the USA, and the FDA has not approved Choline as a drug to prevent or treat any conditions.

What’s In Choline Cocktail?

The can be many benefits of taking choline, but not all choline supplements are the same.

Instead of just packaging pure choline, the Choline Cocktail adds DMAE, ginkgo biloba, a range of B vitamins, vitamins A and C, and some orange flavoring. The majority of the add-ons constitute not much more than a typical multi-vitamin.

Ginkgo biloba is thought to increase blood flow to the brain, however, it can come with the risk of excessive bleeding, heart palpitations, and headaches in some people.

DMAE is a part of the natural process which eventually and indirectly leads to the production of Acetylcholine, but DMAE in oral supplement form may not be effective for boosting Acetylcholine levels in the brain. It cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, and instead is one of the components needed to make choline.

Taking DMAE On Its Own

There is some controversy over the value of taking DMAE, or Dimethylaminoethanol, as a supplement at all.

While it is connected to the production of choline and eventually Acetylcholine, its inability to cross the Blood-Brain Barrier in large quantities makes it a poor candidate for significant cognitive impact.

Some research has been shown it may positively influence conditions like ADHD and is sometimes taken to improve mood. However, there are perhaps better compounds which are derived from the same components, such as Centrophenoxine, which are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and complete the work which DMAE begins. Centrophenoxine is known as an excellent DMAE substitute.

Best Sources of Pure Choline

Choline is available in some common foods, like eggs, beef liver, broccoli, and salmon.

However, to achieve the recommended daily dose – between 400 and 500 mg per day – most people don’t naturally consume enough of these foods.

So, for many people, a simple choline supplement may help to increase intake levels to the recommended daily intake.

When choosing which supplement to take, it’s important to look at effectiveness and purity.

The best choline supplements on the market are CDP Choline and Alpha GPC, which maximize the body’s ability to produce Acetylcholine by crossing the blood brain barrier easily. Some other well-known supplements like Choline Bitartrate and Choline Citrate are not as bioavailable and therefore not as effective.

User Reviews

User Reviews on Choline Cocktail are mixed. While some users enjoy the added stimulation that the Cocktail’s additives bring, comparing it favorably to coffee, others object strongly to the inclusion of ingredients like aspartame, an unnecessary chemical sweetener with dubious health effects.

It is also reported to not mix well with liquids, and despite the sweeteners, it still has an unpleasant taste. Some users report the effects are no different than taking a multi-vitamin.

Is Choline Cocktail Worth The Cost?

It is clear that anyone wishing to boost memory, neuroplasticity, and mental focus should stick to dedicated choline supplements like Alpha GPC and skip the unneeded add-ons found in Choline Cocktail.

The extra ingredients amount to window dressing that might actually create some unwanted side effects. Choline is a natural component of human biology and does not benefit from this type of branded stacking of components.

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