You’ve likely read or heard about phosphatidyl choline somewhere, maybe online or on a bottle in a supplement aisle. Perhaps, like many of us, you could barely pronounce it and therefore disregarded it completely. It’s a good rule not to swallow anything you can’t pronounce unless someone reasonably knowledgeable and credible explains why you should.
Phosphatidyl choline (fahs-fah-tide-all koline, PC for short) is the nutritional source for one of the several types of fats, called phospholipids, required by our bodies for healthy structure and function of the outer surface of our cells–the cellular membrane.
Our cell membranes are designed to allow nutrients into the cell itself, keep out toxins, and flush away waste products of metabolism. But as we age the membranes grow less and less efficient, both at filtering and detoxifying. In a nutshell, PC strengthens cell membranes.
Interestingly, PC is also involved in the manufacturing of acetylcholine, a brain neurotransmitter involved in clear thought and memory.
Phospholipid membrane deterioration is a major component of virtually all chronic illnesses as well as premature aging. Diseases well-known to be linked to membrane deterioration include all the chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders– Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, chronic Lyme and mold biotoxin illnesses, and multiple sclerosis.
Patients without a specific diagnosis who suspect they’re aging too quickly are probably sensing cellular membrane deterioration. (The look-in-the-mirror moment of “My God! I’ve aged!”). You suddenly notice you’ve been feeling every decade that’s gone by. To cheer you up, here’s a nice article from Forbes about PC, which they call an “anti-aging wonder pill.”
Choline in food and supplements
To raise your PC, you need to eat more foods containing choline, which is classified as an essential nutrient. Eggs lead the way, but cod, shrimp, scallops, and collards are also included.
Supplying yourself with a steady source of choline can be challenging, so while you should plan to eat a choline-rich diet, I recommend also taking an oral supplement such as this one, which absorbs well and reaches virtually every cell in your body for immediate cell membrane repair and optimal function.
Here’s a good overview of choline from Oregon State University.
PC as infusion therapy
However, for people who have a chronic illness or sense premature aging, it’s probably quickest to get the whole process of membrane repair started by using IV phosphatidyl choline. This treatment has actually been around for more than 55 years in medical centers worldwide.
Some centers refer to PC by its original brand name, Plaquex, because one of its most interesting (and widely sought) effects is the clearing of cholesterol plaque from inside arteries. PC infusion supports so many areas of the body (including circulatory, mental health, liver, and sexual well-being), that patients also report improvements in mental function, sexual function, cholesterol markers, and liver enzymes.
Depending on the individual clinical situation, ten treatments are usually recommended as a start, taken twice weekly. As with all WholeHealth Chicago IV therapies, you’ll receive your infusion in a private room where you are alone except for the staff member who enters to start the IV and, about 15 minutes later, removes it.
Do some homework on PC yourself. You may realize you’ve got a health situation where the investment ($100 per IV) is worth it, or you may choose to support your PC levels with a supplement taken by mouth.
Be well,
David Edelberg, MD
My husband had heart bypass a number of years ago plus stents. He’s doing well at 84 years. How beneficial/safe would phos choline supplements be for him? Thanks.
Janis Wrich
Hi Janis,
You are always welcomed to call and schedule an IV consultation with one of our providers to discuss risks, benefits and general information regarding any of our IV therapies. Feel free to call us at 773-296-6700.
WholeHealth Chicago
From the Oregon University research study cited, there appears to be some possible risk from low level supplementation as opposed to dietary choline. Should this be considered before taking a supplement?
“Do high choline intakes and/or phosphatidylcholine supplements increase the risk for cardiovascular disease?
Oral supplementation with phosphatidylcholine (250 mg of total choline from food plus 250 mg of supplemental phosphatidylcholine) has been found to result in detectable concentrations of trimethylamine and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in the blood (23). The intestinal microbiota is directly implicated in the generation of trimethylamine from dietary choline, phosphatidylcholine, and carnitine. Trimethylamine is subsequently converted into TMAO by flavin-containing monooxygenases in the liver. The prospective study that followed 4,007 individuals,with or without cardiovascular disease (CVD) for a three-year period found baseline concentrations of circulating TMAO to be positively correlated with incidence of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and stroke − described as major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (23). In the same cohort, MACE risk was found to be about 30% higher in individuals in the highest vs. lowest quartile of choline or betaine plasma concentrations (82). However, depending on gut microbiota composition, the risk of having an adverse cardiovascular event may be lower in individuals with low vs. high circulating TMAO even though choline and/or betaine concentrations in the blood are elevated (82).
Elevated TMAO concentrations have been reported in subjects at increased risk of CVD, such as those with diabetes mellitus (83) or end-stage renal disease (chronic kidney failure) (84), and in patients with cardiac insufficiency (chronic heart failure) (85). Yet, in the latter patients, high plasma concentrations of choline, betaine, and TMAO were not associated with a poorer survival rate after five years of follow-up (85). Finally, supplementation with choline, TMAO, or betaine was found to result in the formation of macrophage-derived foam cells in atherosclerosis-prone mice (24). Foam cells are known to contribute to the development of atherosclerotic lesions (i.e., atherogenesis) by accumulating excessive amounts of lipids within the arterial walls and triggering the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Further research is needed to understand how the composition of intestinal microbiota influences the metabolic fate of ingested choline. At present, there is no evidence that dietary choline increases the risk of cardiovascular events.”
Jack Shankman
Hi Jack,
There have been so many positive studies on the benefits of choline and phosphatidyl choline that although these findings are interesting, the results are far too preliminary to issue warnings. Patients continue to do well with dietary choline and/or supplemental PC. Intravenous PC has been used for decades around the world to remove arteriosclerotic plaque (sold as Plaquex)
WholeHealth Chicago