It has been ten years since we Norwegians last received updated advice on what we should be eating from food. Together with Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and the Baltic countries, Norway will have a new dietary guideline (NNR) to deal with during 2023. For the first time, the unknown nutrient choline receives attention and is included in the guideline. Choline is a vitamin-like nutrient that occurs naturally in egg yolks, yeast, meat, offal and vegetables. If you get too little choline, you can develop liver disease, among other things. That’s why choline is important Choline is important for the building up of cell walls, and for the central nervous system to develop and be maintained because it helps to form the brain’s signaling substance acetylcholine. At the same time, it is an important factor in the utilization of fat and cholesterol, which contributes to counteracting fatty deposits in the liver. Choline deficiency has also been linked to heart disease and Alzheimer’s. This is shown by a study published in Aging Cell. But even though the nutrient is defined as essential, i.e. vital, until now there have been no specific recommendations on how much one should ingest. Little research In March 2022, Anthea Van Parys defended her doctorate with the thesis “Choline consumption in Norway” at the University of Bergen. Before starting her PhD, she had not heard of choline. And it turns out she’s not alone. For Anthea Van Parys, choline was completely new before she wrote her PhD. The first Norwegian recommendations related to the nutrient will soon arrive. Photo: Jorgen Barth / UiB – It took me some time to familiarize myself with what it is, because there is very little research on this. She believes that choline is a forgotten nutrient that deserves more of our attention. – What surprised me the most was that this became an essential nutrient already in 1998. We know that we need it and you know that if you cut it out completely, you will get fatty liver, among other things. The content of choline is highest in beef liver and eggs. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news Updated rarely – There is not a very large research environment related to nutrition in Norway. Considering the importance of a healthy and health-promoting diet, there is a need for more research and a larger research environment. That’s what senior lecturer in nutrition at Nord University, Kari Tande-Nilsen, says. She says it has not been mapped how much choline there is in the Norwegian diet. The last edition of the NNR came out in 2012. The new Nordic dietary recommendations are expected in 2023 and will include an update of all 42 chapters of the 2012 edition. University lecturer in nutrition at Nord University, Kari Tande-Nilsen Photo: Nord University – The Norwegian dietary recommendations are rarely updated. There is a lot of work involved in carrying out such an audit, says Tande-Nilsen. She says that a lot of good studies are needed to assess whether changes should be made. Anthea Van Parys sees the fact that choline is now included as extremely important. For one group in particular, it is good news, she believes. – For pregnant and breastfeeding women, it is important that we look more carefully at it because of the possible influence on the cognitive function of children. Eating food, not recommendations Division director Linda Granlund in the Directorate of Health tells news that even though NNR is expected during the summer of 2023, it will still take some time before the revised dietary advice for Norway arrives. – Once the NNR has been received, the health authorities in Norway start work on incorporating the new knowledge base into our Norwegian dietary advice. Linda Granlund in the Directorate of Health says a strong causal relationship must be in place for advice to be included or excluded. Photo: Kai Rune Kvitseid Granlund says that in order to include or exclude a piece of advice, the summaries must show a strong causal link between the consumption of a given food item and the risk of developing or protecting against disease. – How important are these dietary recommendations and how much should Norwegians focus on them? – What Norwegians eat can affect the likelihood of developing various diseases. With the dietary advice as a basis, we can give good recommendations for schools and nurseries, the health service, the food industry and for the individual. But Granlund clarifies that we do not eat recommendations, but that we eat food. – It is not so important that people know all the details of the dietary guidelines. The goal is for people to know about and live by the guidelines. – If you achieve this, there is a high probability that you will meet your need for nutrients, including choline, and reduce the risk of obesity and diet-related disease. Broccoli is one of the vegetable sources with the most choline. Photo: Karina Kaupang Jørgensen / news
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Choline is a vital nutrient – now it is included in the dietary advice – news Nordland
