A Global Standard in Nutrition Education Now Includes NRI Research on Choline
Isis Trujillo-Gonzalez, PhD is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Nutrition Research Institute (NRI). She joined the NRI in 2015 to conduct her postdoctoral research under Steve Zeisel mentoring. She earned her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
For decades, Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, a college textbook, has defined what future doctors, dietitians, and researchers learn about how food shapes health. This year, it includes the voices of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute’s Isis Trujillo-Gonzalez, PhD, and Steven Zeisel, MD, PhD, who authored a new chapter on choline – one of the most promising, yet under-consumed nutrients in modern health science.
Their chapter traces the essential roles of choline in the human body, from cellular structure to liver metabolism. But its most profound effects may lie in the brain. Choline is a critical nutrient for neurodevelopment during pregnancy and early life, yet research also suggests it continues to influence memory, cognition, and neural resilience throughout adulthood. That’s because choline is the building block for acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential for learning and memory, and for phospholipids that maintain the integrity of brain cell membranes. Without adequate choline, these structures and signals weaken, potentially accelerating cognitive decline or impairing development.
Trujillo-Gonazlez and Zeisel highlight choline’s potential in addressing conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), and Down syndrome. And yet, choline remains chronically under-consumed.Fewer than 10% of Americans meet the recommended daily intake, with the lowest levels often found in women of childbearing age – a gap with serious implications for public health.
“We explain how choline supports brain development during pregnancy and why it matters for lifelong brain health,” Trujillo-Gonzalez notes.”
As the founding scientist who led the original research establishing choline as an essential nutrient for humans, Zeisel brings decades of discovery to this new edition. Trujillo-Gonzalez, whose work continues to uncover choline’s roles in neuroprotection and individualized nutrition, offers a forward-looking perspective shaped by today’s most pressing health challenges.
But the significance of their contribution extends beyond the science – it lies in the textbook’s reach. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease has been a cornerstone in nutrition and medical education since 2012, used by universities around the world, including in Australia, the UK, Italy, Finland, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and across the United States. It is widely cited on syllabuses for both undergraduate and graduate programs in nutrition and medicine and is a required text at institutions such as UNC-Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins, Rutgers, Baylor, NYU, and Cambridge.
By contributing to this influential volume, Trujillo-Gonzalez and Zeisel are shaping the foundational knowledge of future health professionals across continents and generations. Their chapter ensures that choline – still too often overlooked in dietary guidance – will be firmly embedded in the education of those responsible for tomorrow’s public health decisions, clinical practices, and scientific breakthroughs. In doing so, they are helping to secure a more informed, evidence-based approach to brain health and nutrition for years to come.
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