Why do people take Choline?
2 Nov, 2:45pm
What is CDP Choline?
The daily nootropic of great minds
Published by Myke Elevated in News
Before we start on CDP Choline itself we should dial it back to the basics.
Choline is an essential nutrient that is part of the Vitamin B family, and is critical in many processes of the body like fat metabolism, neurotransmitter formation, and to show how critical it's literally foundational in fetal development and suggested food and supplements sources during pregnancy are normal.
“It pays to remember"
For the purpose of this article we will focus on the cognitive benefits associated with CDP choline and some of the benefits of supplementing with it as an addition to your daily regiment, and the synergies with some other popular nootropic and cognitive enhancement ingredients.
One of the main neurotransmitters that relays information to the body and brain is acetyl choline.
— Myke Elevated
Understanding
Acetly Choline
One of the main neurotransmitters that relays information to the body and brain is acetyl choline. It's well known for boosting memory recall, improving reaction time, and even can help with muscle tone and healthy skin. Dysfunctions with acetyl choline are shown in diseases like Alzheimer's where the brain starts to have issues with transferring information around and or maintaining homeostasis between acetyl choline and glutamate levels. It's like the brain cannot wake up or activate properly. Some treatments are associated with things that reduce acetyl choline breakdown in the brain for example.
There are many options...
If you browse the marketplace of cognitive enhancers you see there are a lot of choline options. There is choline bitartrate, choline citrate, Alpha-GPC, etc… There are also blends of many kinds. A real smorgasbord of options. So, why CDP-choline? Well some of the unique properties of CDP choline are that it sits closer to the end game that is acetyl choline in the conversion process, than say choline bitartrate or citrate. It has a very quick effect at boosting up some of the cholinergic effects in the body and brain. Now, Alpha-GPC technically has a closer link to acetyl choline, but has a slightly different effect, some believe for physical activity and reaction time more than longer term brain and cognitive benefits. Regardless, if you are low in cholinergics they will all have some effect. With CDP we are going for the full shebang though!
CDP Choline not only interacts with the cholinergic system, but also offers support to the dopaminergic system. Dopamine is our pleasure and reward retailer and we like to have a healthy relationship with dopamine as much as we can. Not too little and not too much, just find that Goldie Lock’s zone. CDP Choline helps keep the body sensitive to dopamine’s effects so that a little boost goes a long way and does not force the body to dampen down dopamine’s effects. With all the social media, click fest websites, and instant gratification options out there everyone needs to be wary of their dopamine status.
CDP Choline does this by helping the body maintain proper receptor sensitivity for dopamine as CDP choline also helps boost other co-factors in the brain like uridene which is essential for a healthy brain function and aging. All these parameters usually slide down as we age or encounter large periods of stress (brain fog city). At higher doses CDP choline has shown an ability to reduce pain perception which
further shows it has a unique effect interacting with dopamine and other functional areas of the brain. The balancing effect it plays is quite a potent one. This separates CDP choline from other sources of choline as it has these unique benefits, and offers a more versatile strategy of use. Short term is can help boost memory recall and focus, while long term offering those mentioned anti-aging benefits above.
Whether it is for acute use with things like caffeine or full formulations like Core Culture’s Brain Box - CDP choline is an essential nutraceutical that should be looked at for both its quick acting and long term benefits. When taking CDP choline in conjunction with other adaptogenic herbs like Shonen® Ashwagandha and Rhodiola there can be a synergistic effect on neurotransmitters levels and it can double down as an effective means to not only boost cognitive performance, but also physical performance if needed.
In the long term keeping the brain healthy and supplied with essential choline could be a great anti-aging benefit. Hitting two birds with one stone, so to speak, and catching the short and long term benefits together is a no-brainer!