Get More Out of Fish Oil with Uridine

We know that fish oil is a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids which can protect your brain, but did you know that pairing fish oil with Uridine can also increase the amount of acetylcholine in your brain by 30%?

We could all use more acetylcholine because it is a neurotransmitter which signals within the brain in areas, like the hippocampus, which control learning and memory.  The body can synthesize acetylcholine from dietary choline, but it also uses a cycle called the Kennedy Cycle which utilizes Uridine (a nucleotide necessary for the Kennedy cycle) to make more phosphatidylcholine.

When DHA from fish oil is taken with Uridine, the levels of phosphatidylcholine in the brain increase by 30%!  Increasing the amount of phosphatidylcholine means that your neurons can synthesize more acetylcholine which can boost your cognition.

Phosphatidylcholine is the final step in the Kennedy Cycle which neurons in the cholinergic pathway can use from which to synthesize acetylcholine directly.  Uridine is a nucleotide that is present in cell organelles and plasma which is a precursor to the formation of citicoline (CDP choline), which is the first stages of the Kennedy Cycle.  When the final step occurs, the phosphatidylcholine is formed, and acetylcholine can be synthesized from phosphatidylcholine as a substrate.  Are you still with us?  It’s really complicated, but here’s where the benefits of adding Uridine to the fish oil come in.

When Uridine is taken on its own, it helps create the phospholipid precursors to forming cell membranes and helps form synapses between neurons while also increasing anti-inflammatory activity.  Uridine can be found in some organ meats, cruciferous vegetables, and is found in small amounts in breast milk and fermented beer.  Your body begins to synthesize Uridine on its own in your liver after you no longer consume your mother’s milk.  Other dietary sources include fish, baker’s yeast, brewer’s yeast, mushrooms, broccoli, oats, Chinese cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, parley and tomatoes.
Due to these foods’ high composition of RNA, they are considered good sources of Uridine because Uridine is found in the RNA as a building block for RNA.

Uridine is very beneficial in keeping cell membranes strong and healthy, which makes them more resistant to and helps the cells function better, but its key role is in helping form new synapses between neurons.  Uridine, choline, and DHA in the brain all work together to encourage new neurons and synapses to form.

If you’re already taking Uridine, try pairing it with fish oil to get amazing benefits.  It has a low side effect profile, and it can easily be found in capsules for supplementation.