FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Linda Funk

Flavorful Insight

515.491.8636

Widespread Choline Deficiency Jeopardizes Liver Health in the U.S.

October 1, 2014—According to the American Liver Foundation, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may affect up to 25 percent of the U.S. population, including 6 million children, and the incidence is on the rise.

As the body’s second largest organ—second only to the skin—the liver performs more than 500 critical body functions. Prevention of NAFLD is crucial, and that’s where choline comes in. Choline is an essential nutrient that supports normal liver function and helps prevent NAFLD. However, approximately 90 percent of the U.S. population currently does not consume adequate amounts of choline. With the evolution of American eating patterns and changes in our diet, the consumption of many of the most choline-rich foods—liver, eggs and a variety of meats—has decreased. The resulting choline deficiency deprives us of significant health benefits.

Since 1998, the Institute of Medicine, the public health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, has recognized choline as an essential nutrient. The Adequate Intake (AI) levelfor choline is 550 mg/day for men and 425 mg/day for women. Consuming adequate amounts of choline promotes liver health. A healthy liver helps fight infection, provides detoxification by removing harmful substances from the blood, and helps process the food and drinks we consume to store energy, vitamins and minerals for future use.

NAFLD is defined as a build-up of extra fat in liver cells that is not caused by alcohol. Although the liver normally contains some fat, if more than 5 percent to 10 percent of the organ’s weight is fat, then it is called a fatty liver (steatosis). NAFLD may cause the liver to swell—steatohepatitis—and over time a swollen liver may cause scarring (cirrhosis) and may lead to liver cancer or liver failure.

Those who are more likely to develop NAFLD include the overweight or obese, as well as those with diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood triglyceride levers, according to the American Diabetes Association. In addition, the incidence of NAFLD increases with age. Men are more likely to develop NAFLD than women, with Mexican-American men having the highest incidence of any U.S. ethnic group.

It is not surprising that the incidence of NAFLD has more than doubled in the past 20 years. In the U.S., 154 million adults are overweight and 78.4 million are obese. Each year, 1.7 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed, and according to 2014 American Heart Association statistics, 99 million Americans have cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dL.

NAFLD affects half of obese males and 11 percent of children. In the U.S., 23.9 million children ages two to 19 are overweight, and 12.7 million are obese. If current trends continue for another 20 years, the prevalence of NAFLD is expected to increase by 50 percent.

Because our consumption of foods providing the richest sources of choline has decreased in recent years, it is almost always necessary today to supplement the diet with choline in order to attain recommended intake levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently proposed adding choline as a nutrient permitted to be listed voluntarily on the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels.

In addition to consuming the recommended amounts of choline, other important steps to help prevent NAFLD are maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol intake and only taking medicines that you need and following dosing recommendations.

For more information on choline and its health benefits, visit

###