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Review
. 2017 Aug 4;9(8):837.
doi: 10.3390/nu9080837.

Common Genetic Variants Alter Metabolism and Influence Dietary Choline Requirements

Ariel B Ganz  1 , Kevin C Klatt  2 , Marie A Caudill  3
Affiliations
Review

Common Genetic Variants Alter Metabolism and Influence Dietary Choline Requirements

Ariel B Ganz et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Nutrient needs, including those of the essential nutrient choline, are a population wide distribution. Adequate Intake (AI) recommendations for dietary choline (put forth by the National Academies of Medicine to aid individuals and groups in dietary assessment and planning) are grouped to account for the recognized unique needs associated with age, biological sex, and reproductive status (i.e., pregnancy or lactation). Established and emerging evidence supports the notion that common genetic variants are additional factors that substantially influence nutrient requirements. This review summarizes the genetic factors that influence choline requirements and metabolism in conditions of nutrient deprivation, as well as conditions of nutrient adequacy, across biological sexes and reproductive states. Overall, consistent and strong associative evidence demonstrates that common genetic variants in choline and folate pathway enzymes impact the metabolic handling of choline and the risk of nutrient inadequacy across varied dietary contexts. The studies characterized in this review also highlight the substantial promise of incorporating common genetic variants into choline intake recommendations to more precisely target the unique nutrient needs of these subgroups within the broader population. Additional studies are warranted to facilitate the translation of this evidence to nutrigenetics-based dietary approaches.

Keywords: choline; dietary requirements; genetics; nutrigenetics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Simplified diagram of polymorphic folate and choline metabolic enzymes. Abbreviations: B12, vitamin B12; BHMT, betaine homocysteine S-methyltransferase; CDP, cytidine diphosphate; CHDH, choline dehydrogenase; CHKA, choline kinase alpha; FMO3, flavin monooxygenase isoform 3; MTHFD1, methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 1; MTHFR, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase; MTR, methionine synthase; MTRR, methionine synthase reductase; PC, phosphatidylcholine; PEMT, phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase; SLC44A1, solute carrier family 44 member 1; THF, tetrahydrofolate.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of common genetic variants that impair folate metabolic enzymes on choline dynamics at adequate choline and folate intakes. Black arrows represent relative differences in the partitioning of dietary choline between metabolic endpoints. Green arrows and red arrows represent an increased and decreased flux of dietary choline, respectively, for a given metabolic outcome [23].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of common genetic variants in choline metabolic enzymes on choline dynamics at adequate choline and folate intakes. Black arrows represent relative differences in the partitioning of dietary choline between metabolic endpoints. Green arrows and red arrows represent an increased and decreased flux of dietary choline, respectively, for a given metabolic outcome [24].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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