Establishment of dietary reference intakes for choline in the 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans
10.4163/jnh.2026.59.2.135
- Author:
Jee-Seon SHIM
;
Eugene SHIM
;
Mijoo CHOI
;
Eunju PARK
- Publication Type:Review
- From:Journal of Nutrition and Health
2026;59(2):135-147
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Choline is an essential nutrient that serves as a fundamental structural component of membrane phospholipids and plays critical roles in one-carbon metabolism, acetylcholine synthesis, lipid transport, and signal transduction. Although it is synthesized endogenously in the human body, the amount produced may not be sufficient to meet the nutrient's total biological demand, necessitating consistent dietary intake from various food sources. Since its recognition as an essential nutrient by the Institute of Medicine (U.S.) in 1998, several countries and regions, including Australia and New Zealand, Europe, and China, have established specific Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) to monitor and manage choline intake among their respective populations. In response to the growing demand for national dietary guidelines, the Committee for the Establishment and Revision of the 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs) conducted a thorough, systematic review. This initiative was undertaken to re-evaluate the necessity and strength of scientific evidence supporting DRIs for choline in the Korean population. Furthermore, the committee analyzed the distribution of actual choline intake among healthy Koreans by applying a newly developed choline database to the recent five-year data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. By comprehensively reviewing both the calculated reference values based on existing evidence and the actual intake distribution, the committee successfully established the Adequate Intake and Tolerable Upper Intake Level for choline across different age and gender groups in Korea. This review details the development process and core components of the KDRIs for choline and presents the key issues to be addressed in future revisions of these standards.
