Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

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Julie G
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Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

Post by Julie G »

I've just perused full-text, but it appears that higher choline + phosphatidylcholine intake are protective against dementia. Those in the highest compared with the lowest phosphatidylcholine intake quartile had a 28% reduced risk. Higher levels were also associated with improved cognitive performance. Additionally, Chris Masterjohn has just come out with a free choline/genetic tool that personalizes the amount each of us requires. I shared it on our Facebook page and I was surprised at the crazy high levels some folks required. I was at the lower end with a recommended FIVE eggs (or the equivalent) per day. Check it out here.

Associations of dietary choline intake with risk of incident dementia and with cognitive performance: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31360988
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Moderate egg intake has been associated with better cognitive performance in observational studies. This association may be due to the rich content of choline, especially phosphatidylcholine, in eggs because choline has been suggested to have a role in the prevention of cognitive decline.
OBJECTIVES:
We investigated the associations of dietary choline intake with the risk of incident dementia and with cognitive performance in middle-aged and older men in the prospective, population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.
METHODS:
A population-based sample of 2497 dementia-free men aged 42-60 y was examined in 1984-1989. A subset of 482 men completed 5 different cognitive performance tests 4 y later. Dementia and Alzheimer disease diagnoses were retrieved from Finnish health registers. Dietary intakes were assessed with the use of 4-d food records at baseline. Cox regression and ANCOVA were used for the analyses. All analyses were also stratified by the apolipoprotein E phenotype (APOE-ε4 compared with other phenotypes). These data were available for 1259 men.
RESULTS:
The mean ± SD total choline intake was 431 ± 88 mg/d, of which 188 ± 63 mg/d was phosphatidylcholine. During a 21.9-y follow-up, 337 men were diagnosed with dementia. Those in the highest compared with the lowest phosphatidylcholine intake quartile had 28% (95% CI: 1%, 48%; P-trend = 0.02 across quartiles) lower multivariable-adjusted risk of incident dementia. Total choline intake had no association with the risk of incident dementia. However, both total choline and phosphatidylcholine intakes were associated with better performance in cognitive tests assessing frontal and temporal lobe functioning. For example, higher intakes were associated with better performance in verbal fluency and memory functions. The APOE phenotype had little or no impact on the associations.
CONCLUSION:
Higher phosphatidylcholine intake was associated with lower risk of incident dementia and better cognitive performance in men in eastern Finland. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03221127.
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SusanJ
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Re: Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

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Yep, crazy high is me at 9 egg equivalents per day.

Anybody else out there that beats 9? Please? Please someone make me feel better about my whacked methylation pathways...

ps. I do supplement phosphatidylcholine, taking NOW Supplements, Sunflower Lecithin 1200 mg with phosphatidylcholine (210 mg per capsule) most days. Adding PC + creatine to my B vitamin suite is my homocysteine lowering stack.
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ru442
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Re: Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

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Julie for those of us not on Facebook can you share a link?

Eta: nevermind I see it in your post!

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Male 4/4 56 yrs., "Live, Laugh, Love"
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Julie G
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Re: Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

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Anybody else out there that beats 9? Please? Please someone make me feel better about my whacked methylation pathways...
No, sorry. You win, even from amongst the FaceBook crowd. Only one gal matched your requirement. At least we know that you come by your “methylation whisperer” title honestly. :lol:
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SusanJ
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Re: Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

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:lol: :lol: :lol: Yeh, well, years of pain and problems is a mighty teacher.
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MarcR
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Re: Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

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8 for me, 7 for my wife. I try to consume 3 dozen weekly, but apparently that's not nearly enough. Good thing I also eat a lot of beef and fish.
Lucy5
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Re: Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

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Just checked and I’m at 9 egg rqmt also.
Yikes. Need to add up my intake but certain I’m way short of where I need to be.
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Re: Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

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Last edited by MagicBean on Thu Mar 05, 2020 4:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
chrissyr
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Re: Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

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Mine is 7. (!) I maybe have 7 per week at most so I appreciate knowing about that supplement, Susan! Chris Masterjohn lists other food sources, but it would be pretty hard to get enough from food alone.
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SusanJ
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Re: Higher phosphatidylcholine protects against dementia

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chrissyr wrote:I appreciate knowing about that supplement, Susan.
If you decide to take PC, start with one per day and go up from there if needed. It can cause depression for some people and you'll want to keep an eye on that. Pushing the choline/methylation pathways can have unintended brain side effects.

You can also consider just taking choline and let your body make what it needs, but some genes will tilt the path in favor of one over another.

Choline is involved in three major pathways (Rhonda Patrick):
1. Phosphatidylcholine synthesis via the CDP-choline pathway
2. Methyl donor to form betaine which facilitates the methylation of homocysteine to methionine, important in
DNA synthesis
3. Acetylcholine synthesis

Choline pathway genes include:
PEMT rs7946 (T is risk) - lower phosphatidylcholine production in the liver. Note that post-menopausal women in general need more choline regardless of their genetics, because estrogen stimulates PEMT in the liver.

MTRR rs1801394 (G is risk) - alters where choline goes in the pathway (CDP-choline/PC or betaine), and actually favors PC, but choline gets used at the expense of having higher homocysteine. Rhonda Patrick notes, "At recommended adequate intake (AI) levels of choline, women with this variant shuttled more choline towards phosphatidylcholine synthesis at the expense of betaine synthesis. However, at levels above the AI, normal partitioning was restored, suggesting that women with this polymorphism may benefit from dietary choline intake above the current AI levels."

MTHFD1 rs2236225 (T is risk) - behaves like MTRR above.

FADS1 rs174548 (G is risk) - associated with having lower phosphatidylcholine levels.

And because I have CHDH variants (rs9001 and rs12676), I don't convert from choline to TMG well, so I also supplement TMG.

Here's a prior post with a graphic of the choline pathway and how it intersects with methylation.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2965&p=35519&hilit=rs9001#p35519
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