CDP Choline (Citicoline) | 180 Capsules | Vit4ever

CDP Choline (Citicoline) by Vit4ever

You are searching for citicoline and will soon come across the term CDP-choline. That is exactly what is in this product. Each capsule from Vit4ever delivers 250 mg of citicoline, of which approximately 50 mg counts as pure choline. It is a substance that occurs naturally in every cell of your body. In your daily diet, you will hardly encounter the compound itself.

What exactly is citicoline?

Citicoline is the common name for cytidine-5'-diphosphocholine. Behind that long name is a molecule that is present in all your body cells. It consists of two parts linked together: choline and cytidine. Your body creates the compound itself as an intermediate step in the production of phosphatidylcholine. This happens via a fixed route in your cells, the so-called Kennedy pathway, named after the researcher who mapped out this metabolic pathway in the 1950s. Phosphatidylcholine is one of the most important fatty building blocks of your cell membranes, the walls around each cell. Those membranes are constantly renewed, because your cells continuously replace their parts. In short: citicoline is a substance naturally found in the body with a chemical name that sounds more complicated than the molecule itself.

The difference between citicoline and regular choline

Choline and citicoline are often confused, but they are not the same. Regular choline is a separate nutrient. Citicoline is that same choline, but as part of a larger compound, together with cytidine. Whereas a separate choline supplement contains only choline, citicoline (CDP-choline) consists of two building blocks at once. For this reason, the form is listed separately on the label and you usually pay more for it than for separate choline.

What choline is

Choline is a nutrient. It forms part of phosphatidylcholine, which you find in the wall of almost every cell. You get separate choline from sources such as eggs, liver, and meat, but citicoline itself is hardly found in food. This product contains 250 mg of citicoline per capsule, of which the manufacturer lists approximately 50 mg as pure choline on the label. That transparency down to the milligram is exactly what you want to see with a choline supplement. Good to know: European regulations allow citicoline in supplements up to a maximum of 500 mg per day, so with 250 mg, this product is well below that limit. In addition to citicoline, you will also come across choline bitartrate and alpha-GPC in supplements, two other commonly used forms of choline. Choline bitartrate is the simplest and cheapest form, with a relatively low proportion of pure choline per unit of weight. Alpha-GPC, on the other hand, contains a high percentage of choline. Citicoline sits in between in terms of composition: it delivers less pure choline per milligram than alpha-GPC, but also contains cytidine as a second building block.

180 capsules with a fixed dosage

Vit4ever delivers this product in a bottle with 180 capsules. With the recommended intake of 1 capsule per day, you have a supply for about half a year. The dosage of 250 mg per capsule aligns with what you see with well-known brands on the Dutch market, where 250 mg of citicoline is a common amount per capsule. The capsule itself is plant-based and made of HPMC instead of gelatin. The product is also free from lactose, gluten, titanium dioxide, and artificial colors and flavors. It is filled in Germany and Europe, according to HACCP, GMP, and ISO 22000:2018 standards. This makes this CDP-choline supplement suitable for a vegan diet without unnecessary additives.

Citicoline is therefore a substance that you produce yourself and that is in every cell, but that you get almost none of from food. This product brings that compound together in a plant-based capsule with a fixed amount of 250 mg, declared down to the milligram of choline.