Choline, an essential nutrient similar to the B vitamin and
found in foods such as liver, muscle meats, fish, nuts and eggs, when given as
a dietary supplement in the last two trimesters of pregnancy and in early
infancy, is showing a lower rate of physiological schizophrenic risk factors in
infants 33 days old.
The study breaks new ground both in its potentially
therapeutic findings and in its strategy to target markers of schizophrenia
long before the illness itself actually appears. Choline is also being studied
for potential benefits in liver disease, including chronic hepatitis and
cirrhosis, depression, memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and
certain types of seizures.