UNC NRI researchers examine how dietary choline and genetics may shape cognitive and language outcomes in children with autism.
KANNAPOLIS, NC, UNITED STATES, February 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — What if one reason autism looks so different from child to child lies not only in behavior but in something as fundamental as daily nutrition?
Isis Trujillo-Gonzalez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, is leading groundbreaking research to explore how choline, an essential nutrient for brain development, may help explain differences in cognitive and language outcomes among autistic children.
“Our goal is to understand something as fundamental as differences in dietary choline intake, and how those differences may help explain why cognitive outcomes vary so widely in autism,” said Dr. Trujillo-Gonzalez. “If we can identify how choline intake and genetic differences work together to shape brain development, we can begin to design nutrition strategies that are personalized, practical, and grounded in biology.”
Autism is marked by striking variability in how children learn, communicate, and process information. Yet most therapies focus on behavioral and pharmacological approaches, with little attention to nutrient status. Choline plays a central role in brain health. It is required to produce acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in memory and attention. It supports myelination, the insulation around nerve fibers that allows the brain to communicate efficiently. It also fuels methylation, a biochemical process that regulates gene activity and is critical for neurodevelopment. Because the body cannot produce enough choline on its own, it must come from the diet.
Research shows that between 69 and 93 percent of autistic children do not meet recommended intake levels for choline. Selective eating patterns, common in autism, may further limit intake of choline-rich foods such as eggs, meat, fish, and certain legumes. Until now, no study has directly tested whether low dietary choline contributes to differences in cognitive and language development in autism.
Using detailed dietary records from the EAT study cohort at UNC, Dr. Trujillo-Gonzalez and Dr. Clare Harrop will examine whether children with higher choline intake perform better on standardized measures of reasoning, comprehension, memory, and expressive language. The study also integrates genetics, focusing on one-carbon metabolism genes that influence how the body processes choline. By linking diet, biology, and cognitive testing, the research advances a precision nutrition approach, one that recognizes that individual nutrient needs and genetic differences may shape developmental outcomes.
If dietary choline intake is shown to influence cognitive performance, the implications could be transformative. Nutrition-based strategies are accessible and scalable and could complement existing therapies to better support learning and development. By identifying how something as modifiable as diet contributes to brain function, this work opens the door to practical, evidence-based tools that may help children with autism reach their fullest potential.
Brooke Giles
UNC Nutrition Research Institute
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