The purpose of the present research is to study the effect of choline supplementation on plasma free fatty acids and beta-hydroxybutyrate as well as lipid metabolism during a session of prolonged exercise among elite male triathletes (with an average of 21.44±2.83 of age, 54.71±5.34 kilograms of weight, and 71.25±4.36 mlkg-1min-1 of VO2 max). Nine elite triathletes performed two 120-minute sessions of running on treadmill with an intensity of 59-64% VO2 max in the form of a translational research with a single-blind design. The subjects took placeboes one hour before the exercise in the first session and took Choline Bitatrate supplements one hour before the exercise in the second session. Blood sampling was done before and after exercises in order to measure plasma free fatty acids and beta-hydroxybutyrate using the colorimetric method. Data were analyzed using repeated analysis of variance at significance level. A comparison between the results of the exercise sessions showed that the level of plasma free fatty acids at the end of the exercise with choline supplements was significantly lower than that of the exercise with placeboes, and that the level of plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate at the at the end of the exercise with choline supplements was significantly higher than that of the activity with placeboes. It was thus concluded that choline supplementation accelerates the lipid oxidation process during prolonged sports exercises through increasing the uptake of fatty acids and increasing plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate.
