Beef liver – rich in choline
A new study has identified a link between low choline levels and anxiety disorders, suggesting that increasing your intake of this essential nutrient could potentially improve symptoms of these types of conditions.
In a study in September in Molecular Psychiatryresearchers at the University of California at Davis (UC Davis) analyzed data from 25 studies that compared levels of neurometabolitos in a total of 370 patients with at least one diagnosis of anxiety disorder and 342 control subjects.
Neurometabolites are the chemicals of metabolism in the brain that indicate neuronal activity, and have increasingly been the focus of scientists in conditions such as schizophrenia and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.
As details, in this study, researchers observed a variety of these brain metabolites, including n-acetylaspartate (NAA), total creatine, total choline, myo-inositol, glutamate, glutamate and glutamine, GABA and lactate.
By observing measurements produced through proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS), scientists identified that levels of hill were significantly lower — on average 8% — in the brains of people with anxiety disorders compared to the control group.
Furthermore, the difference was more pronounced and consistent in scans of the prefrontal cortex, the region that regulates emotion, behavior and executive function.
“This is the first meta-analysis to show a chemical pattern in the brain in anxiety disorders. This suggests that nutritional approaches — such as adequate choline intake — may help restore brain chemistry and improve outcomes for patients.”
This is what the co-author of the study explained to New Atlas Jason Smucnyassistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC Davis.
Where to find the hill?
Choline is an essential nutrient that we need to obtain through our diet because the levels produced by the liver (as phosphatidylcholine) are not sufficient.
The most common food sources are the fat-soluble phospholipids phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, found in foods such as: eggs, beef liver, red meat, chicken, potatoes, yogurt, fish, cruciferous vegetables and cereals.
According to the new study, about 90% of North American adults do not meet the daily choline requirements: 550 mg/day for men, 425 mg/day for women not pregnant or menopausal.
Although this chemical plays an important role in cellular function, it is also essential in the production of acetylcholinea neurotransmitter essential for memory, mood and other functions of the brain and nervous system.
Low levels in the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for many of these functions, can compromise brain operations vital to our mental health.
