Is Choline the Missing Link in Anxiety? Let’s Look at the Data

Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam

Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Education, Health & Fitness:mental Health, Self-improvement

4.8 • 657 Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2026

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

New research shows people with anxiety have lower choline in the brain. What choline does and is choline a good supplement for anxiety Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 days: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills New neuroscience research suggests that people with anxiety disorders have lower levels of choline in the brain compared to those without anxiety. In this video I explain what choline is, how it supports acetylcholine and the nervous system, and what this study does—and does not—mean for anxiety. You’ll learn: What choline does in the brain, how acetylcholine supports calm and regulation, whether low choline causes anxiety (or not), what the research actually says about supplementation, and practical, grounded ways to support your mental health ecosystem. Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to another episode of the Therapy in a Nutshell podcast. I'm Emma McAdam and I'm a licensed
0:05.6	marriage and family therapist. And this podcast is all about taking the life-changing, but usually kind of
0:11.5	complicated topics of therapy and boiling them down into simple, easy to understand concepts that you
0:17.2	can use in your daily life. If you find today's episode as helpful to you,
0:20.9	please pass it on to someone else who could benefit from it as well. Each podcast
0:24.5	episode comes from a corresponding video you can find on the Therapy in a Nutshell YouTube
0:28.6	channel. Also, these podcasts are educational and don't replace the advice or direction
0:33.1	you may be receiving from a therapist or other health professionals. Now please,
0:37.1	enjoy the episode.
0:37.9	Some fascinating research about anxiety just came out. It found that people with anxiety have
0:43.1	less coline in the brain than those without anxiety disorders. Now anxiety disorders are a complex
0:48.7	condition that are fueled by many contributing factors, but up to 30% of the population has one,
0:53.8	and this includes generalized
0:55.3	anxiety disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder, and phobias. And I often experience more anxiety
1:01.5	than I'd prefer, and I have to work really hard to manage it. But anxiety is not just a mindset
1:07.5	problem, it's a whole body, nervous system state. And our brain is a physical
1:12.8	organ that needs physical nutrients to function properly. And research is increasingly showing
1:18.6	that nutrients, like Colleen, may play a role in how calm, flexible, and resilient your brain
1:24.1	can be under stress. Now, there is a lot of garbage on the internet
1:28.1	about magical supplements that will cure anxiety or depression. And when you look at the
1:33.4	research, most of the supplements just don't show results when they're rigorously
1:38.2	researched. But what if supplementing with Colleen gave your brain the nutrient it's
	...

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