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In this new case-control study of more than 3,000 adult women, the risk ofdeveloping breast cancer was 24 percent lower among women with the highestintake of choline compared to women with the lowest intake. Women with thehighest intake of choline consumed a daily average of 455 mg of choline ormore, getting most of it from coffee, eggs and skim milk. Women with thelowest intake consumed a daily average of 196 milligrams or less.
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"Choline is needed for the normal functioning of cells, no matter your ageor gender," says Steven H. Zeisel, MD, PhD, University of North Carolina, whois an author of the study and a leading choline researcher. "Increasingevidence shows that it may be particularly important for women, particularlythose of child-bearing age."
Only ten percent of Americans currently meet the recommended intake forcholine, identifying a need to increase choline intake across thepopulation.(ii) According to the Institute of Medicine, adequate cholineintake is 550 milligrams per day for men and breastfeeding women, 425milligrams per day for women, and 450 milligrams per day for pregnantwomen.(iii) One egg contains 125.5 milligrams of choline, or roughly a quarterthe recommended daily supply, making eggs an excellent source of thisessential nutrient.(iv) Choline is found exclusively in the egg's yolk. Othertop food sources of choline include liver, wheat germ and cauliflower.
"While choline is an essential nutrient to the human diet, most peoplehaven't even heard of it," says Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor in Chief of TheFASEB Journal and research professor of medicine and director of theBiotechnology 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 werequire in our diet, we hope that research, education and awareness aboutcholine will increase as a result of this study published in The FASEBJournal."
Eggs and Decreased Risk of Breast Cancer
Two previously published studies, supported by NIH grants, have shown thatwomen who eat eggs have a lower risk of developing breast cancer:
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 ofnutrients throughout the body, choline has been shown to:
About The FASEB Journal
The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) is published by the Federationof American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and is consistentlyranked among the top three biology journals worldwide by the Institute forScientific Information. FASEB comprises 21 nonprofit societies with more than80,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical researchassociations in the United States. FASEB advances biological science throughcollaborative advocacy for research policies that promote scientific progressand education and lead to improvements in human health.
About the American Egg Board (AEB)
AEB is the U.S. egg producer's link to the consumer in communicating thevalue of The incredible edible egg(TM) and is funded from a nationallegislative checkoff on all egg production from companies with greater than75,000 layers, in the continental United States. The board consists of 18members and 18 alternates from all regions of the country who are appointed bythe Secretary of Agriculture. The AEB staff carries out the programs under theboar
