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choline and dementia?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas...90806101530.htm

Quote:

Dietary choline associates with reduced risk of dementia

A new study by researchers at the University of Eastern Finland is the first to observe that dietary intake of phosphatidylcholine is associated with a reduced risk of dementia. Phosphatidylcholine was also linked to enhanced cognitive performance. The main dietary sources of phosphatidylcholine were eggs and meat. The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Choline is an essential nutrient, usually occurring in food in various compounds. Choline is also necessary for the formation of acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter. Earlier studies have linked choline intake with cognitive processing, and adequate choline intake may play a role in the prevention of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. In fact, choline is nowadays used in a multinutrient medical drink intended for the treatment of early Alzheimer's.

The new study now shows that the risk of dementia was 28% lower in men with the highest intake of dietary phosphatidylcholine, when compared to men with the lowest intake. Men with the highest intake of dietary phosphatidylcholine also excelled in tests measuring their memory and linguistic abilities. These findings are significant, considering that more than 50 million people worldwide are suffering from a memory disorder that has led to dementia, and the number is expected to grow as the population ages. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, for which no cure currently exists. The new findings may, therefore, play a vital role in the prevention of dementia. Successful dementia prevention is a sum of many things and in this equation, even small individual factors can have a positive effect on the overall risk, possibly by preventing or delaying the disease onset.

"However, this is just one observational study, and we need further research before any definitive conclusions can be drawn," Maija Ylilauri, a PhD Student at the University of Eastern Finland points out.

The data for the study were derived from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, KIHD. At the onset of the study in 1984-1989, researchers analysed approximately 2,500 Finnish men aged between 42 and 60 for their dietary and lifestyle habits, and health in general. These data were combined with their hospital records, cause of death records and medication reimbursement records after an average follow-up period of 22 years. In addition, four years after the study onset, approximately 500 men completed tests measuring their memory and cognitive processing. During the follow-up, 337 men developed dementia.

The analyses extensively accounted for other lifestyle and nutrition related factors that could have explained the observed associations. In addition, the APOE4 gene, which predisposes to Alzheimer's disease and is common in the Finnish population, was accounted for, showing no significant impact on the findings. The key sources of phosphatidylcholine in the study population's diet were eggs (39%) and meat (37%).

I don't want to put too much into this. I can't roll my eyes at other findings from this data, like increased heart disease with increased meat intake, and then just accept this dementia thing because I approve of meat and eggs. :o

Thanks Teaser. Im of Finnish decent, so the Alzheimers risk is personal.

In the end choline is put in the feed for the egg layers. Maybe there is benefit in supplementing, especually as eggs in the US have been maligned for 50 years. Which I ignored as nonsense thanks to a couple university professors in the 1980's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by teaser

There are other studies that show that choline has a positive effect on the brain.

This study from 2017 says, "Choline has been shown to exert neuroprotective effects in both animal and human studies."

Then there's this study from 2003 - Cognitive improvement in mild to moderate Alzheimer's dementia after treatment with the acetylcholine precursor choline alfoscerate: a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Not saying choline's not good for the brain. But higher quality evidence doesn't give lower quality evidence a bump up in quality. More like it makes it less relevant.

There's another line that's interesting to me, a fellow looking at a mouse model for schizophrenia that's caused by a deficiency of nicotinic receptors. There are some studies looking at nicotine therapy for schizophrenia... anyways, in the mouse model, making sure the baby animals (and the mother) get lots of choline seems to be protective. They've done one study in humans--they're not allowed to have a choline-deficient group of course, but there's no reason to think that extra choline will be harmful, TMAO-phobes aside. That's shown some promise in intellectual development at two years, but they won't know if it decreases rate of schizophrenia until the late teens to mid-twenties.

Speaking of a favorite neurotransmitter:

Quote:

Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter used at the neuromuscular junction—in other words, it is the chemical that motor neurons of the nervous system release in order to activate muscles. This property means that drugs that affect cholinergic systems can have very dangerous effects ranging from paralysis to convulsions.

The next study that finds for the defendant (Roger RedMeat, over here, your Honor, pleads not guilty to homicide. He is being framed for a crime he didn’t commit!) unless they have some kind of a co-factor calculation to clear interaction with carb intake will be worth discussing in depth.

In humans.

Because my recent experience has been, at least for my slice of the population, that carbs added to anything makes it less healthy: exercise, meditate, sleep— it’s all affected by the carb intake’s effect on their hormones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by teaser

Teaser, have you tried Choline & Inositol in combination? I took it religiously a few years back during a very stressful family illness and it kept me running full speed. People even asked me how I was doing so great, and since this was one of the only supplements I was taking, i know this was it.