91制片厂

When Reader鈥檚 Digest magazine decided to offer its subscribers a closer look at a nutrient that鈥檚 a bit of an unknown to many people, a 91制片厂 faculty member helped tell the story.

That report on choline, which features insights from Kevin Pietro, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences, ran in a

鈥淐holine is a vitamin-like nutrient that allows our cells to function and communicate efficiently,鈥� Pietro explains. 鈥淲hile humans have the ability to manufacture small amounts, choline is still considered an essential nutrient, requiring daily consumption.鈥�

Pietro, who teaches courses on topics including nutrition in exercise and sports, became interested in choline while teaching his courses on medical nutrition therapy and nutrition and metabolism.

鈥淐holine plays an incredibly important role in assisting in the proper metabolism of dietary fat and cholesterol,鈥� Pietro explains. 鈥淥ften times a deficiency would be identified with the help of liver enzymes found in the blood, which would be abnormally elevated.听 Of course, other medical issues could also elevated these enzymes, which would need to be ruled out first before a deficiency could be uncovered.鈥�

What would he like his students to know about choline? 鈥淲here choline is found in food, I would hope to convince my students that a choline supplement is not needed, except in rare cases,鈥� he says.

While it is not included on nutrition labels, choline, he explains, is available from the foods many of us eat each day 鈥� ones that are readily available in 91制片厂鈥檚 dining halls.

鈥淟uckily, choline is found in both plant and animal food sources,鈥� Pietro says, noting that while animal food sources such as eggs, poultry, fish, beef and liver tend to have the highest concentrations, 鈥減eanuts, wheat germ and many of the cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts can also serve as reliable sources.鈥�

And if we鈥檙e not getting enough of this nutrient?

鈥淥ne of the most well-documented and researched deficiencies associated with insufficient choline intake is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is the buildup of fat and cholesterol in the liver,鈥� Pietro says. Without enough choline, he explains, that buildup 鈥渃ould become progressively worse, potentially leading to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which indicates significant inflammation and liver cell damage.听This also increases one鈥檚 risk for cirrhosis and liver cancer.鈥�

We need choline for other things, too.

鈥淐holine is also present in cell membranes all over our body, which helps maintain the integrity of those cells, allowing them to function properly,鈥� Pietro says. 鈥淎dditionally, choline assists in the communication between cells in multiple ways.听For this reason, recent research has focused on choline, cognition and certain neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.鈥�

Find out more about what is happening at the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture鈥檚 .