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Choline Benefits

Dr. Lucia Aronica, PhD provides practitioners with comprehensive, evidence-based guidance on choline, an often-overlooked essential nutrient that plays a critical role in pregnancy outcomes, fetal brain development, and lifelong health. Lucia explains the epigenetic mechanisms by which choline programs gene expression, explains why 90% of people are deficient, and provides practical strategies for optimizing intake through food and supplementation.

continuing education credit details

RDs Earn 1.25 CPEUs

Valid through 7/8/28

NDs Earn 1.0 CEs

Valid through 3/15/27

RNs Earn 1.0 CEs

Valid through 1/31/2028

Provider Details

This enduring activity (Type 741) awards 1.25 CPEUs in accordance with the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s CPEU Prior Approval Program.

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing. Provider # 1816, 1.0 Contact Hours.


Provider approved by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians for 1.0 CEs. NDs in Oregon, please see FAQ

Meet the expert

Dr. Lucia Aronica, PhD

Link to the Expert's Instagram in a separate page. Link to the Expert's website in a separate page.

Dr. Lucia Aronica is a Stanford scientist and global authority in nutritional epigenetics who helps clinicians understand how food actively programs gene expression. Featured in the Netflix documentary You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment, her research showed that targeted dietary changes can reverse biological aging by up to two years in just eight weeks. She created Stanford’s first courses in nutritional epigenetics and pioneered the Epinutrition framework, a clinical approach that treats food as biological information. With nearly two decades of research experience at Stanford, Oxford, and USC, Dr. Lucia is a sought-after educator and keynote speaker known for translating complex molecular science into practical tools for patient care. She is currently launching the world’s first Clinical Epinutrition Certification, training health professionals to use food as epigenetic medicine. 

Disclosure: Lucia is a Needed advisor and has an equity interest in the company.

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Episode Highlights

  • What is choline and why it matters
  • The epigenetics of choline and its four main functions
  • The PEMT gene and individual variability
  • Current recommendations vs. optimal intake
  • Genomic imprinting and stress response
  • Choline and mental health in children
  • Critical windows for choline
  • Food sources and practical strategies for supplementation 
  • The TMAO controversy

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this continuing education activity, practitioners will be able to:

Explain the role of choline in fetal brain development and maternal health during pregnancy

Develop choline optimization strategies, including dietary sources and supplementation

Assess current choline intake patterns in pregnant and lactating women and recognize deficiency risks

Take the quiz
References

Zeisel, S.H. & Klatt, K.C. (2008). Choline and brain development. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, 11(6), 735-740.

Caudill, M.A. (2010). Pre- and postnatal health: evidence of increased choline needs. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110(8), 1198-1206.

Wallace, T.C. & Fulgoni, V.L. (2016). Assessment of total choline intakes in the United States. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 35(2), 108-112.

Shaw GM et al. Choline and risk of neural tube defects in a folate-fortified population. Epidemiology. 2004;15(6):714–719. doi:10.1097/01.ede.0000141493.68206.d0.

Bahnfleth CL et al. Prenatal choline supplementation improves child sustained attention: a 7-year follow-up of a randomized controlled feeding trial. FASEB J. 2022;36(1):e22047. doi:10.1096/fj.202101217R.

Caudill MA et al. Maternal choline supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy improves infant information processing speed: a randomized, double-blind, controlled feeding study. FASEB J. 2018;32(4):2172–2180. doi:10.1096/fj.201700692RR.

Mujica-Coopman, M. F., Paules, E. M., & Trujillo-Gonzalez, I. (2024). The role of prenatal choline and its impact on neurodevelopmental disorders. Frontiers in nutrition, 11, 1463983. 

Derbyshire E, Obeid R. Choline, Neurological Development and Brain Function: A Systematic Review Focusing on the First 1000 Days. Nutrients. 2020 Jun 10;12(6):1731. doi: 10.3390/nu12061731. PMID: 32531929; PMCID: PMC7352907.

Fischer, L.M. et al. (2007). Sex and menopausal status influence human dietary requirements for the nutrient choline. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85(5), 1275-1285.

Wiedeman, A.M. et al. (2018). Dietary choline intake: current state of knowledge across the life cycle. Nutrients, 10(10), 1513.

Ganz, A. B., Klatt, K. C., & Caudill, M. A. (2017). Common Genetic Variants Alter Metabolism and Influence Dietary Choline Requirements. Nutrients, 9(8), 837. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9080837 

Jiang et al. Maternal choline intake alters the epigenetic state of fetal cortisol-regulating genes in humans. FASEB J. 2012;26(8):3563–3574. doi:10.1096/fj.12-207894.