The effects of choline supplementation on physical performance

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Nutritional Science
• Human Performance

Background:

• Plasma choline levels may decrease with strenuous exercise.
• Preliminary data suggest choline depletion may limit physical performance.
• Choline supplementation might delay fatigue during prolonged physical exertion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between plasma choline and performance during and after 4 hours of strenuous exercise.
• To determine if choline supplementation affects fatigue and performance in soldiers.
• To examine changes in plasma choline, glycerophosphocholine, and phosphatidylcholine.

Main Methods:

• Double-blind, crossover design with 14 healthy volunteers.
• Participants underwent 4 hours of load carriage treadmill exercise (3% grade, 5.6 km/h, 20 km) carrying 34.1 kg.
• Choline citrate (8.425 g) or placebo beverage administered before and during exercise, followed by run-to-exhaustion and squat tests.

Main Results:

• Plasma choline levels increased by 128% post-exercise with choline supplementation, but remained unchanged with placebo.
• No significant differences in performance measures (run time-to-exhaustion, squat tests) were observed between choline and placebo groups.
• Perceived exertion was not significantly affected by choline supplementation.

Conclusions:

• Conditioned soldiers do not deplete plasma choline during prolonged exhaustive exercise.
• Choline supplementation does not appear to delay fatigue or enhance performance in this population under these conditions.
• Further research may be needed to explore choline's role in different exercise intensities or durations.