Calling all vegans and vegetarians…

Choline is an essential nutrient that humans must get through their diet, the most common food sources are meat, poultry, fish, dairy product and eggs.  Non-meat sources include wheatgerm and brussels sprouts. It is needed to produce acetylcholine an important neurotransmitter for among other things:

  • Memory
  • Mood
  • Muscle control

Researchers have discovered that taking a daily choline dietary supplement could reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s and it should be something that vegetarians and vegans in particular should be doing.  The Arizona researchers estimated that the currently daily recommendations of 550mg for men and 425mg for women can be quadrupled without causing any side-effects, and at these higher levels, choline would have a greater protective effect.

Reference

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acel.13037

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