Dietary choline may also be important for function in pregnant women. It improves signaling mechanisms responsible for placental angiogenesis and may mitigate some of the pathological antecedents of preeclampsia. The epigenome of the human placenta is especially responsive to maternal choline intake; for example, higher maternal choline intake altered gene methylation and the expression of placental corticotropin-releasing hormone, a key regulator in stress response.This suggests that poor maternal choline intake may adversely affect maternal and fetal responses to stress.