Not so appetizing. (Letters).For a few unfortunate people, choline choline: see vitamin. choline Organic compound related to vitamins in its activity. It is important in metabolism as a component of the lipids that make up cell membranes and of acetylcholine. has a dark side ("Brain food," SN: 11/3/01, p. 282). An inborn error of metabolism inborn error of metabolism n. Any of a group of congenital disorders caused by an inherited defect in a single specific enzyme that results in a disruption or abnormality in a specific metabolic pathway. , trimethylaminurea, causes them to smell like rotting fish when they eat high-choline foods. Sara D. Brown Clinton, N.J. Good point. New labeling that identifies foods rich in choline should help people with trimethylaminurea avoid those foods. --J. Raloff As a reader concerned about my cholesterol and fat intake, I was ready to throw away my container of egg substitute and buy a dozen eggs when I read the article. Then, I came to the third sentence of the next-to-last paragraph: "... a tall glass of skim milk offers as much choline as an egg does." So, I poured myself a glass of cold skimmed milk (and had a cookie). Doris E. Gennaro Gainesville, Fla. The tabulation tab·u·late tr.v. tab·u·lat·ed, tab·u·lat·ing, tab·u·lates 1. To arrange in tabular form; condense and list. 2. To cut or form with a plane surface. adj. Having a plane surface. of choline content leaves one with the mistaken impression that only eggs and liver are choline rich. While soy lecithin lecithin Any of a class of phospholipids (also called phosphatidyl cholines) important in cell structure and metabolism. They are composed of phosphate, choline, glycerol (as the ester), and two fatty acids. Various fatty acids pairs distinguish the various lecithins. is mentioned in passing as a manufacturing additive, soy is otherwise neglected in the text and chart. The CRC (Cyclical Redundancy Checking) An error checking technique used to ensure the accuracy of transmitting digital data. The transmitted messages are divided into predetermined lengths which, used as dividends, are divided by a fixed divisor. Handbook of World Food Legumes Legumes A family of plants that bear edible seeds in pods, including beans and peas. Mentioned in: Cholesterol, High legumes (l : Nutritional Chemistry, Processing Technology and Utilization (1989, D. Salunkhe, CRC Press) lists a value of 3.4 milligrams of choline per gram of soybean seeds. That's 289 mg of choline for an 85-g (3-oz) serving. Lentils contain 2.23 mg/g, or 200 mg per serving. Both values are comparable to the choline content of an egg. Considering that soy in the form of tofu, tempeh tem·peh n. A high-protein food of Indonesian origin made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans. [Indonesian tempe, from Javanese, soybean cakes.] , or boiled beans comes free of cholesterol and rich in healthful compounds, concern for vegan health seems spurious, as does the market-driven notion of eggs as the perfect food. John M. Vinopal Berkeley, Calif. The need for choline is certainly bolstered by recent studies. But nearly 50 years ago, nutrition maven Adelle Davis touted choline's merits. Though vilified by many in medicine and food production, her whole-food philosophy made sense to some of us. We sidestepped the anticholesterol bandwagon. Result at 61 years old: blood pressure, 110/70; HDLs, 77; triglycerides, 53. Thanks to all the brain food, we won't soon forget Davis. David Rawlins Pauma Valley, Calif. |
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