Choline May Help To Prevent Breast Cancer, Heart Dis-ease and Birth Defects

Choline, an essential nutrient found in foods such as cauliflower, is associated with a 24 percent reduced risk of breast cancer, according to a study supported by a grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), to be published in The FASEB Journal's print issue in June.(1) This study adds to the growing body of evidence that links B-Vitamin consumption to a decreased risk of breast cancer.

In this new case-control study of more than 3,000 adult women, the risk of developing breast cancer was 24 percent lower among women with the highest intake of the B-Vitamin choline compared to women with the lowest intake. Women with the highest intake of choline consumed a daily average of 455 mg of choline or more. Women with the lowest intake consumed a daily average of 196 milligrams or less.

"Choline is needed for the normal functioning of cells, no matter your age or gender," says Steven H. Zeisel, MD, PhD, University of North Carolina, who is an author of the study and a leading choline researcher.
"Increasing evidence shows that it may be particularly important for women, particularly those of child-bearing age."

Only ten percent of Americans currently meet the recommended intake for choline, identifying a need to increase choline intake across the population.
According to the Institute of Medicine, adequate choline intake is 550 milligrams per day for men and breastfeeding women, 425 milligrams per day for women, and 450 milligrams per day for pregnant women. Choline is also found in wheat germ.

"While choline is an essential nutrient to the human diet, most people haven't even heard of it," says Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor in Chief of The FASEB Journal and research professor of medicine and director of the Biotechnology Study Center at the New York University School of Medicine. "Given that in the U.S.
there is a real need to understand how much choline we require in our diet, we hope that research, education and awareness about choline will increase as a result of this study published in The FASEB Journal."

Cauliflower and Decreased Risk of Breast Cancer:

Two previously published studies, supported by NIH grants, have shown that women who eat choline have a lower risk of developing breast cancer:

* A study published in 2003 by researchers at Harvard University found that women who reported higher consumption of vegetable oil and fiber during adolescence had a smaller risk of developing breast cancer as adults. Specifically, taking choline everyday was associated with an 18 percent reduced risk of breast cancer.

* A study of Chinese women published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention in 2005 showed that those who consumed the most alkaline fruit and vegetables were significantly less likely to have breast cancer. For those that reported eating at least 120 mgs. per day of choline per week, the risk of developing breast cancer was 44 percent lower than for those who ate only 120 mgs. for two days per week.

Other Benefits of Choline:

In addition to playing a role in the normal functioning of all cells, including brain and nerve function, liver metabolism and the transportation of nutrients throughout the body, choline has been shown to:

* Prevent Birth Defects: According to population-based research, infants from mothers whose diets were deficient in choline were four times more likely to have neural tube defects such as spina bifida. This increased risk was observed even when other nutrients that help prevent birth defects, such as folic acid, were in adequate supply.

* Improve Memory: Research suggests that choline is essential for proper fetal and infant brain development.
It appears that choline affects the areas of the brain responsible for memory function and life-long learning ability.

* Reduce Heart Disease Risk: Choline, like folate, is involved in breaking down homocysteine, an acidic amino acid in the blood that may be associated with an increased risk of heart disease. In fact, research shows that choline deficiency results in increased homocysteine levels.

Dr. Young has developed a new product that contains the B-Vitamin choline in a colloidal form with the healing energies of colloidal Ruby.