Supplement
Choline is an essential nutrient the body uses to build cell membranes and make acetylcholine, a chemical messenger involved in memory and muscle control. People mostly look at it for child development, since it supports brain growth, and the evidence for that is moderate, from about 1,000 participants. Small studies in athletes, with 20 and 13 people, found no clear difference in anaerobic capacity or cognition, so that evidence is very limited.
Sources: PMID 12502178
- Updated
- How we grade
- 3 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade D
- Conditions studied
- 5
- Outcomes
- 22
- Graded outcomes
- 0006
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognition No effect | NoneNo effect | 1 study | 13 people | |||
Studies that measured cognition | ||||||
| Anaerobic Capacity No effect | NoneNo effect | 14 people | ||||
| Rating of Perceived Exertion | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 14 people | |||
Studies that measured rating of perceived exertion | ||||||
| Training Volume | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 13 people | |||
Studies that measured training volume | ||||||
| Fatigue Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 14 people | ||||
| Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 13 people | ||||
| Reaction Time | Improves (the measure goes up) | 13 people | ||||
| Working Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 13 people | ||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognition No effect | NoneNo effect | 1 study | 13 people | |||
Studies that measured cognition | ||||||
| Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 13 people | ||||
| Reaction Time | Improves (the measure goes up) | 13 people | ||||
| Working Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 13 people | ||||
Memory Improvement
- Cognition
- Memory: improves
- Reaction Time: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognition No effect | NoneNo effect | 1 study | 13 people | |||
Studies that measured cognition | ||||||
| Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 13 people | ||||
| Reaction Time | Improves (the measure goes up) | 13 people | ||||
| Working Memory | Improves (the measure goes up) | 13 people | ||||
Anaerobic Exercise Performance
- Anaerobic Capacity
- Rating of Perceived Exertion: improves
- Fatigue Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaerobic Capacity No effect | NoneNo effect | 14 people | ||||
| Rating of Perceived Exertion | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 14 people | |||
Studies that measured rating of perceived exertion | ||||||
| Fatigue Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 14 people | ||||
Cycling Performance
- Anaerobic Capacity
- Training Volume: improves
- Fatigue Symptoms: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anaerobic Capacity No effect | NoneNo effect | 20 people | ||||
| Training Volume | Improves (the measure goes up) | 1 study | 20 people | |||
Studies that measured training volume | ||||||
| Fatigue Symptoms | Improves (the measure goes down) | 20 people | ||||
Key findings
- Cognition
- Anaerobic Capacity
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- Grade D
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Studies cited
3 studies from PubMed