In the world of supplements there’s quite a bit of common ingredients. Actually, some totally different types of supplements will have the same ingredients. And I’m not just talking about B Vitamins, but highly specialized nutrients, like Choline. 

So it’s fair to ask, if Choline is in, say, Nootropics and fat-burners, can it actually help with both? We’ll check the science and the best available research to find out.

Fast Facts:

• Choline is a natural, organic compound of Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, and Oxygen.

• It is present in everyday foods, and is necessary for the metabolism of calories.

• Choline cannot be stored long term in the body; therefore, for proper physiological function, it must be consumed every day.

• Because of its role in metabolic function, it helps with everything from cognitive function to muscle performance. 

What is Choline?

Choline works by preserving cell walls, but more importantly, it’s required for making acetylcholine. But what does that have to do with Weight Loss? We’ll see in the next section, Choline is the first building block in a chain of reactions that ends with adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. And as some readers will already know, ATPis the primary trigger for muscle contractions.

How Choline Can Help with Weight Loss

Once we understand that Choline is a necessary component of muscle contractions, it’s pretty easy to see how it can help us lose weight–by helping us move muscles easier and more efficiently. In essence, Choline helps make our workouts better.

From Choline to ATP

Here’s the short version of the chemical reactions, then we’ll get to how it can help us lose weight.

Choline, phosphorous, oxidation, and lipids, all form a complex web of interdependent processes that sometimes gets grouped under the term “Choline Kinase.” This process yields a number of byproducts necessary for cell integrity, cognitive function, and ATP. 

One study of histological samples found that Choline deficiency led to depleted ATP, and the disruption of several lipid (fat) malfunctions in human tissue. (If you’re interested in the graphs and spectrometer readings, Fig. 4 of this study has all the data.)

Now that we know Choline is necessary for ATP we can look at how that affects our workouts and metabolism.

From ATP to the Gym

Anyone who remembers the Creatine craze of the late 90s and early 00s knows that ATP is the key to muscle contractions. But it’s not just for bulking up–in fact, ATP is just as important for long-term fatiguing workouts, like cardio and HIIT. And that’s because no matter what the calorie looks like outside the muscle cell–sugar, protein, fat, doesn’t matter–it’s converted to ATP as the only energy muscles use.

And ATP needs to be resynthesized again and again, with every twitch of every muscle fiber. Which means we need Choline, over and over again. And we can’t store it long term, remember? 

Beyond the mere contraction of a given muscle, ATP and its resynthesis cycle have also been noted as predictors of weight loss. Which means the more building blocks we have of ATP, its breakdown, and recovery, the better our weight loss outcomes.

These results have been verified by live participant clinical trials. For instance, in one study of athletes, Choline supplementation increased fat loss and weight loss without any side effects. And that goes back to what I mentioned about Choline and our metabolism. No matter what we eat, it needs to be turned into ATP. And without that, our sugars stay as sugars in our blood, leading to obesity, and our muscles don’t get fuel. 

One More Benefit

At Bio-Bean we try to take your whole body, your whole life, into account. On the one hand, I’m not going to recommend a supplement that costs $7,000 a bottle. On the other hand, if there’s a mental or emotional health benefit to something, I’ll mention it in a weight loss article, because mental health influences weight loss.

So before we move on, I do want to mention again that multiple studies have found that Choline can reduce anxiety and other mental health symptoms. And when we’re in better head space, we’re more likely to stick to our wellness routines.

And lastly, Choline improves our mental faculties. Which can be really important if we’re trying to stay disciplined on staying away from Carbs, or staying in the gym. All of which means Choline can not only help on the cellular level with muscle contractions, long term with weight loss, but also with our mental space as we navigate a new regimen. 

How to Get Choline in Your Diet

Okay, so Choline sounds pretty good, right? Well, it is. You’re not wrong. And the good news is that it’s present in every animal product, from beef to eggs, from yogurt to fish. And because it’s necessary for plants to live, too, it’s present in all your favorite non meat foods–potatoes, broccoli, wheat, peanuts. Literally almost every food.

But if you’re trying to eat less, you may miss out on nutrients like Choline you need to be consuming every day. So what to do?

Supplements

There are some affordable, effective, and safe weight loss supplements that already contain Choline! Not only that, but many of them, like Leanbean, have several other proven weight loss ingredients that can help with your goals.

Last Word

Choline is not only an essential nutrient, but it really can help us lose weight. Moreover, it can help us with our mental and emotional wellbeing, which can be the difference maker in whether our diets and workouts fail, or succeed.

And if you’re worried about consuming enough in your daily food, don’t fret. There are popular and effective supplements that can take care of your intake, worry free.