Choline

What it is · too little · too much · daily reference values by country

For reference only. This is not a diagnosis or a prescription. If you have concerns, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.

What it is

Choline is a core component of cell membrane phospholipids and an essential nutrient involved in methyl metabolism, acetylcholine synthesis, lipid transport, and signaling. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
Choline is an integral part of some phospholipids; it is involved in the metabolism and transport of lipids and in cholinergic neurotransmission. (European Food Safety Authority)

Getting too little

A report says that liver and muscle pathological changes were found in most men who ate a diet low in choline. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
Choline deficiency is associated with liver and muscle damage. (European Food Safety Authority)

Getting too much

Choline intake in excessive amounts beyond the levels usually consumed in daily meals has been reported to be associated with health outcomes such as lower blood pressure, a fishy body odor, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, tearing, blurred vision, and cardiovascular disease. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)

Daily reference values by country

Korea · US · EU — tap to open

These tables are daily reference values for healthy people. Numbers in the text above are a different kind of value, and you cannot diagnose yourself from them. How to read RDA, AI and UL

Korea — 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (Ministry of Health and Welfare)

Group	AI	UL
0–5 months	110 mg
6–11 months	150 mg
1–2 years	160 mg	Checking
3–5 years	190 mg	Checking
Male · 6–8 years	260 mg	Checking
Male · 9–11 years	350 mg	Checking
Male · 12–14 years	450 mg	Checking
Male · 15–18 years	480 mg	Checking
Male · 19–29 years	480 mg	Checking
Male · 30–49 years	480 mg	Checking
Male · 50–64 years	480 mg	Checking
Male · 65–74 years	480 mg	Checking
Male · 75+ years	480 mg	Checking
Female · 6–8 years	250 mg	Checking
Female · 9–11 years	330 mg	Checking
Female · 12–14 years	390 mg	Checking
Female · 15–18 years	390 mg	Checking
Female · 19–29 years	390 mg	Checking
Female · 30–49 years	390 mg	Checking
Female · 50–64 years	390 mg	Checking
Female · 65–74 years	390 mg	Checking
Female · 75+ years	390 mg	Checking
Pregnancy	+80 mg	Checking
Lactation	+110 mg	Checking

US — NASEM (National Academies)

Group	AI	UL
0–6 months	125 mg	—
7–12 months	150 mg	—
1–3 years	200 mg	1000 mg
4–8 years	250 mg	1000 mg
Male · 9–13 years	375 mg	2000 mg
Male · 14–18 years	550 mg	3000 mg
Male · 19–30 years	550 mg	3500 mg
Male · 31–50 years	550 mg	3500 mg
Male · 51–70 years	550 mg	3500 mg
Male · 71+ years	550 mg	3500 mg
Female · 9–13 years	375 mg	2000 mg
Female · 14–18 years	400 mg	3000 mg
Female · 19–30 years	425 mg	3500 mg
Female · 31–50 years	425 mg	3500 mg
Female · 51–70 years	425 mg	3500 mg
Female · 71+ years	425 mg	3500 mg
Pregnancy · 14–18 years	450 mg	3000 mg
Pregnancy · 19–30 years	450 mg	3500 mg
Pregnancy · 31–50 years	450 mg	3500 mg
Lactation · 14–18 years	550 mg	3000 mg
Lactation · 19–30 years	550 mg	3500 mg
Lactation · 31–50 years	550 mg	3500 mg

UL — applies to: Unless otherwise specified, the UL represents total intake from food, water, and supplements.

EU — EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)

Group	AI
7–11 months	160 mg
1–3 years	140 mg
4–6 years	170 mg
7–10 years	250 mg
11–14 years	340 mg
15–17 years	400 mg
18+ years	400 mg
Pregnancy · 18–60 years	480 mg
Lactation · 18–60 years	520 mg

Sources

EFSA DRV Finder (Dietary Reference Values) · checked 2026-10-07
EFSA DRV Finder — nutrient descriptions · checked 2026-10-07
EFSA Overview on Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (v11, August 2025) · checked 2026-10-07
2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans, Vol. 2: Vitamins (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare · The Korean Nutrition Society; in Korean) · checked 2026-10-07
2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans — summary tables (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare · The Korean Nutrition Society; in Korean) · checked 2026-10-07
NASEM Dietary Reference Intakes summary tables (Appendix J, 2019) · checked 2026-10-07

The sentences are plain-language summaries of official sources written by SuppleBoard. Each English sentence was checked against the source text by an AI reviewer before publishing. The agencies do not endorse this site. Published 2026-10-16.

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