Fish Oil
Krill
CH3
Methyl Doner
Phospholipids
Phosphatidylcholine
The body modifies triglycerides (TAG) into phospholipids (specifically phosphatidylcholine, or PC) primarily through a pathway that involves removing a fatty acid, introducing a phosphate-containing group, and utilizing methyl donors (choline/betaine/methionine) to complete the structure.
The body converts triglycerides to phospholipids primarily in the liver and cells through a process called de novo phospholipid synthesis (Kennedy pathway), where a specific lipase enzyme removes one fatty acid from a triglyceride (or diglyceride), and a phosphate group (linked to a nitrogenous base like choline) is added.
Vitamin B12 and Folate support the methionine cycle, which is required to create phosphatidylcholine in the liver.
Methyl Donors (Choline, Betaine, Folate): These nutrients provide the necessary CH3 groups to remethylate homocysteine back into methionine, which then regenerates SAM.
Homocysteine Remethylation: Homocysteine must be remethylated to methionine to prevent toxicity and maintain methylation potential. This occurs via two main pathways:
Betaine Pathway (BHMT): Primarily in the liver, betaine (derived from choline) transfers a methyl group directly to homocysteine.
Folate Pathway (MS): 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF, derived from folate) remethylates homocysteine in a vitamin 𝐵12-dependent reaction.