Scientists for the first-ever time have observed the health benefits of consuming phosphatidylcholine. A new study by the scientists at the University of Eastern Finland has suggested that dietary intake of phosphatidylcholine reduces the risk of dementia. It also enhances cognitive performance.
Eggs and meat are the primary dietary sources of phosphatidylcholine. Choline is a vitamin-like essential nutrient and a methyl donor involved in many physiological processes, including healthy metabolism and transport of lipids, methylation reactions, and neurotransmitter synthesis.
Prior examinations have connected choline consumption with cognitive processing, and adequate choline intake may assume a job in the prevention of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. Choline is these days utilized in a multi-nutrient medical drink intended for the treatment of early Alzheimer’s.
The study found a 28% lower risk of dementia in men with the highest intake of dietary phosphatidylcholine when compared to men with the lowest intake. Men with the highest intake of dietary phosphatidylcholine also excelled in tests measuring their memory and linguistic abilities.
These discoveries are noteworthy, considering that more than 50 million individuals worldwide are experiencing a memory disorder that has prompted dementia, and the number is required to develop as the populace ages. The new discoveries may, in this manner, assume a fundamental job in the prevention of dementia. Successful dementia prevention is a sum of numerous things and in this condition, even little individual elements can positively affect the general hazard, conceivably by anticipating or postponing the disease onset.
Scientists gathered the data from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, KIHD- conducted in 1984–1989, which accessed approximately 2,500 Finnish men aged between 42 and 60 for their dietary and lifestyle habits and health in general. These data were combined with their hospital records, cause of death records, and medication reimbursement records after an average follow-up period of 22 years. In addition, four years after the study onset, approximately 500 men completed tests measuring their memory and cognitive processing. During the follow-up, 337 men developed dementia.
Maija Ylilauri, a Ph.D. student at the University of Eastern Finland said, “However, this is just one observational study, and we need further research before any definitive conclusions can be drawn.”
The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.