In this blog post, we'll explore choline and its potential benefits for individuals living with dysautonomia, particularly those with POTS. I’ll share my personal experience with choline supplementation and highlight important considerations to keep in mind if you're thinking about trying it for yourself.
What is Choline?
Choline is an essential nutrient officially recognised by the Institute of Medicine in 1998. Although your liver can produce small amounts, many people still fail to meet the recommended daily intake. You'll find choline in foods like eggs, liver, and soybeans.
Benefits to People with POTS
Choline plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy nervous system, which is vital for those with dysautonomia. It helps regulate essential bodily functions, such as blood pressure and heart rate. A deficiency in choline can be a contributing factor in POTS patients.
One of choline's key roles is producing acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential for memory, muscle movement, and heart rate regulation. Specifically, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) releases acetylcholine to help slow the heart rate.
Other Processes Affected by Choline
Choline plays a vital role in various processes in your body.
Here are some key functions:
Cell Structure: Choline is necessary for creating fats that support cell membrane integrity.
Cell Messaging: It contributes to the production of compounds that serve as cell messengers.
Fat Transport and Metabolism: Choline is essential for producing a substance that helps remove cholesterol from your liver. A lack of choline may lead to fat and cholesterol buildup in the liver.
DNA Synthesis: Choline, along with other vitamins like B12 and folate, supports processes important for DNA synthesis.
How Much Choline is Needed?
A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2003-2004 concluded that 90% of the adult American population has an inadequate intake of choline.
Recommended intake:
Adult men: 550 mg per day
Adult women: 425 mg per day
It is important to note that choline needs may depend on the individual. Many people do fine with less choline, while others need more.
How Can I Increase my Choline Intake?
The richest dietary sources of choline include: Beef and Chicken liver, Eggs, Fish, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Soybean oil.
As a single egg supplies about 20–25% of your daily requirement.
Choline can also be taken in tablet form. If you're considering a supplement, CDP-choline and alpha-GPC are effective options, as they contain higher choline levels and are more easily absorbed than other options.
Before You Try
Here are some potential negatives or concerns for POTS patients:
Impact on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate: Choline can increase acetylcholine levels. In individuals with POTS, where dysregulation of autonomic function is present, this could potentially exacerbate symptoms like tachycardia or orthostatic intolerance.
Sensitivity to Stimulants: Individuals with dysautonomia might be more sensitive to substances that affect neurotransmitter levels. Since choline plays a role in the production of acetylcholine, which is a stimulating neurotransmitter, supplementation might lead to increased symptoms of anxiety or palpitations in some people.
Interaction with Medications: Those with dysautonomia often take medications to manage their symptoms. Choline supplementation may interact with these medications, potentially altering their effectiveness or contributing to side effects.
Potential for Over-supplementation: Excessive intake of choline can lead to symptoms of toxicity, such as fishy body odour, vomiting, and low blood pressure.
It's important to remember the response to choline can vary widely among individuals, and what benefits one person may worsen symptoms in another. Personal tolerance and the severity of dysautonomia symptoms can influence this.
Consuming too much choline has been associated with unpleasant and potentially harmful side effects, although it is very unlikely that someone could ingest this amount from food alone.
Personal Experience
I first discovered choline while looking for supplements to help manage my dysautonomia symptoms. Many people online shared their positive experiences, saying that choline helped reduce things like heart palpitations and brain fog.
However, I also found reports from others who saw no benefits or even experienced more symptoms after taking it. Since choline is inexpensive, I was willing to give it a try.
After taking choline for a few weeks, I stopped because I didn't notice much change and might have even felt worse. I think this could be because choline lowered my blood pressure. This could have also just been uncorrelated bad luck. Maybe I'll have to try it again another time and update this post if there's any change.
Even though choline didn't work for me—possibly because I already get enough from my diet— it might be worth trying for others. If your blood pressure is well managed by your doctor but you still struggle with palpitations, choline could be helpful for you.
Conclusion
Understanding choline and its significance can help you meet your nutritional needs, especially if you are dealing with health issues like POTS. Simple dietary changes or supplements can make a significant difference in your overall health and well-being. Stay tuned for more insights on nutrients that can support your health journey!
Useful Links:
What is Choline?
What is the Autonomic nervous system?
Choline deficiency and postural orthostatic tachycardia: