Choline And The Liver

Choline And The Liver
Choline And The Liver

From 10FAQ Health

Benefit #3: Healthy Liver

The liver requires choline for the breakdown of fats. Choline is used to produce phosphatidylcholine, which is necessary for metabolizing lipids in the liver. When there is adequate choline in the liver, this process goes on effectively, which helps the liver carry on with its many functions. But in case of low choline, the liver cannot process all the fat it gets from the digestive system.

Choline And The Liver
Choline and the body

As a result, fat builds up within the liver, which may lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Studies carried out on people whose diets were low in choline found out that they were prone to developing fatty liver disease. The fatty liver condition was reversed when these people were put on high choline diets.

Benefit #4: Prevents Neural Tube Defects

The neural tube is a tube that forms in the developing body of an embryo. The tube provides the housing for the central nervous system comprising of the brain and the spinal cord. When a pregnant woman gets the necessary nutrition prior to and during pregnancy, her unborn baby’s neural tube develops normally. However, if a pregnant woman has choline deficiency, the chances of her unborn baby developing neural tube defects increase.

Effects of choline deficiency on the body

Spina bifida and anencephaly are the most common neural tube defects. It is worth noting that other factors, including folic acid intake, also play a part in the development of the neural tube. For this reason, pregnant women should ensure that they get a properly balanced diet before and during pregnancy.

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