Choline — the essential nutrient nobody taught you about

Choline is required for phosphatidylcholine synthesis — the dominant phospholipid in every cell membrane in the body. Without adequate choline, cell membranes become structurally compromised. It is also the precursor to acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter most associated with attention, memory, and social cognition. And it is required by the liver for VLDL export — the mechanism that moves fat out of liver cells. Chronic choline deficiency is a direct driver of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The richest dietary source by a significant margin is egg yolk. Egg yolk was systematically demonised for its cholesterol content from the 1960s onward — during exactly the period when choline should have been receiving serious public health attention. The cholesterol concern was largely unfounded for most people. The choline cost of avoiding eggs was real.

The MTHFR gene variant — carried by a significant portion of the population — increases choline requirements further, as the methylation pathway that MTHFR supports partially overlaps with choline metabolism.