Choline , a nutrient that belongs to the group of B vitamins, improves long-term memory and attention span, according to the results of two studies carried out on mice in which researchers from the University of Granada have participated.
In a first experiment, the scientists fed a choline supplement to several rats in the last stage of gestation, and evaluated the memory capacity of their offspring when they reached adulthood. The test consisted of the recognition of an object 24 hours and 48 hours after having seen it for the first time. The results revealed that, although all the rats were able to identify the object after 24 hours, only those that were fed choline during the prenatal stage recognized it on the second day.
In a second experiment, learning tests were carried out with rats fed with choline supplement, and they found that, compared to a control group that had not ingested the vitamin, these animals maintained better attention when they were presented with a familiar stimulus. Furthermore, when this stimulus took on a new meaning, the supplemented rats were able to learn the new concept faster.
Choline is present both in foods of animal origin, such as eggs or chicken and beef liver, and in vegetables, such as soy or wheat germ . These studies, published in the journals Nutritional Neuroscience and Behavioral Brain Research , add new evidence to support the importance of vitamin B intake.
