Now researchers at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, have found a possible genetic cause for some incidences of male infertility.
Future studies will explore whether choline nutrient supplements can improve sperm function for some men.
A $110,000 gift from Balchem Corporation will expand the work of an NRI Research Assistant and enable further research in the area of choline metabolism.
Internationally-renowned researcher and author, Martin Kohlmeier, M.D., Ph.D., has relocated to Kannapolis to join the NRI team. Dr. Kohlmeier’s many accomplishments include developing consumer software about healthy foods and online nutrition education for medical students.
Dr. Steven Zeisel, NRI Director, spoke at the 11th Annual Postgraduate Nutrition Symposium at Harvard University. His presentation centered on the topic of choline as an essential dietary nutrient in humans.
Dr. Seung-Wan Ryu, Associate Professor in Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at the Keimyung University School of Medicine in Korea, is visiting the NRI to collaborate on cutting edge nutrition research. Dr. Ryu is studying the effects of dietary choline on the growth of blood vessels in tumors.
A mouse study by NRI scientists shows that prenatal diets that are deficient in choline—an essential nutrient that is part of all cell membranes— form fewer blood vessels in the brains of developing fetuses. These findings could prove significant for pregnant women.