[Effects of Phosphatidylcholine] From Improving Memory to Fetal Brain Development, 3 Benefits of Phosphatidylcholine

Hello, I am Jinny, a pharmacist.

There are organs that we consider most important throughout our lives, but most people do not take special care of. It's the brain. In fact, brain cells begin to decline after the age of 30, and unlike other cells, it is known that they cannot be regenerated once damaged, so it is important to maintain healthy brain cells through consistent management [1].

But maintaining healthy brain cells is not that easy. Continuous stress and tension promote fatigue of brain cells, and psychological factors such as depression and nervousness also affect them. Not to mention lack of sleep or excessive alcohol consumption[2]. To put it simply, we can say that most people, from test takers to office workers, are in an environment where their brain health is threatened.

Today, we would like to introduce you to ingredients that can help protect brain health, which is threatened in our daily lives. This ingredient, phosphatidylcholine, is not only distributed in greater abundance in brain cells than other cells, but is also used in the synthesis of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that regulates learning and memory formation in our brain.

Phosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid similar to phosphatidylserine, known as a functional ingredient for brain health, and is characterized by the fact that the head of the molecule is made of choline. In a cohort study, the relationship between phosphatidylcholine intake and language and memory abilities was established [3]. Now, let’s take a closer look at phosphatidylcholine through academic research.
[1,2] Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Food Safety Country, health functional food functional information ,
[3] Ylilauri, M., Voutilainen, S., Lönnroos, E., Virtanen, H. E., Tuomainen, T. P., Salonen, J. T., & Virtanen, J. K. (2019). Associations of dietary choline intake with risk of incident dementia and with cognitive performance: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 110(6), 1416-1423.

Earlier, I told you that phosphatidylcholine is used in the synthesis of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that regulates learning and memory formation. Extensive research accumulated in academia over the past several decades has consistently reported that acetylcholine regulates various cognitive functions, and it has been proven in numerous studies that learning ability and memory are improved when acetylcholine is secreted or used.

So, will consuming phosphatidylcholine, which is used in the synthesis of acetylcholine, improve learning ability and memory? Ladd, S. L, and researchers (1993) conducted human trials to answer these questions. In this human application test targeting 80 college students, it was reported that significant improvement in explicit memory* was observed due to the intake of phosphatidylcholine.
*Explicit memory: It is a type of long-term memory and refers to memories that can be consciously recognized. Because it can be expressed verbally, it is also called declarative memory, and a typical example is storing and recalling knowledge gained through learning [5].

[4] Gold, P. E. (2003). Acetylcholine modulation of neural systems involved in learning and memory. Neurobiology of learning and memory, 80(3), 194-210.
[5] Doosan Encyclopedia