Nutrition BulletinPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-17DOI: 10.1111/nbu.70047
Emma Tuschick, Jo Smith, Benjamin Harrison, Matthew Youngman, Emma L Giles
{"title":"Food Insecurity in Families With Children or Young People With Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Emma Tuschick, Jo Smith, Benjamin Harrison, Matthew Youngman, Emma L Giles","doi":"10.1111/nbu.70047","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nbu.70047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Food insecurity is frequently reported among families of children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC), yet there is limited evidence synthesising its prevalence and impact. This systematic review aimed to examine and meta-analyse the existing literature on food insecurity in families of children and young people with ASC. A comprehensive search across nine databases identified 39 papers, of which 11 met the inclusion criteria. Studies were included if they involved autistic children or young people under the age of 25 (and/or their family members) and focused on food insecurity. Eligible studies were critically appraised, and data were synthesised using both narrative and meta-analytic approaches. Meta-analyses of nine studies estimated a pooled prevalence of food insecurity at 29% (SE: 5%; 95% CI: 17%-40%; z = 5.35, p < 0.001), which increased to 31% following adjustment for publication bias. The review also found that food insecurity worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to increased caregiver stress and disruptions in eating behaviours. This review demonstrates the high prevalence of food insecurity among families of children with ASC and the complex interplay of social, economic and behavioural challenges they face. Addressing food insecurity in autistic households requires policy responses that extend beyond financial aid to consider the sensory, behavioural and nutritional needs specific to ASC. Future research should adopt standardised measures and prioritise the development and evaluation of inclusive, tailored food support systems that reflect the lived experiences of neurodiverse families.</p>","PeriodicalId":48536,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"185-199"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13254693/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146214567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nutrition BulletinPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-05-31DOI: 10.1111/nbu.70056
Fazle Rabbi, Pinaz Gulacha, Lehana Thabane, Sonia S Anand, Kozeta Miliku, Theo J Moraes, Elinor Simons, Padmaja Subbarao, Russell J de Souza
{"title":"The Association of Maternal Dietary Patterns With Asthma and Wheeze Diagnosis in Canadian Children.","authors":"Fazle Rabbi, Pinaz Gulacha, Lehana Thabane, Sonia S Anand, Kozeta Miliku, Theo J Moraes, Elinor Simons, Padmaja Subbarao, Russell J de Souza","doi":"10.1111/nbu.70056","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nbu.70056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Asthma affects over 850,000 Canadian children under 14, ranking among the top chronic childhood diseases. Prenatal dietary factors are hypothesised to influence its development. We examined associations between maternal prenatal dietary patterns and childhood asthma/wheeze in the CHILD cohort. Principal component analysis derived three dietary patterns (plant-based, Western, balanced) from food frequency questionnaires. Logistic regression and generalised estimating equations (GEE) models assessed associations with physician-diagnosed asthma (n = 1574) and recurrent wheeze (n = 1799-2374) at ages 1-3 years, adjusting for covariates. Among 2968 mother-child pairs, maternal asthma (OR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.10-4.18), paternal asthma/wheeze (OR = 2.14, 1.26-3.56), and gestational age (OR = 0.79, 0.67-0.93) predicted asthma risk. Maternal wheeze (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.05-2.38) and prior wheeze (OR = 4.30, 2.93-6.25) predicted recurrent wheeze. No associations were found between dietary patterns and asthma (plant-based OR = 1.40/1-point DS increase, 0.80-2.43; Western OR = 1.20, 0.86-1.65; balanced OR = 0.98, 0.74-1.26) or wheeze. While familial and perinatal factors strongly predict asthma risk, maternal prenatal diet patterns showed no association with childhood respiratory outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":48536,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"233-244"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13254694/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148139456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nutrition BulletinPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-05-23DOI: 10.1111/nbu.70057
Rozenn Gazan, Matthieu Maillot, Florent Vieux, Romane Poinsot, Adam Drewnowski
{"title":"Association Between Dietary Live Microbes and Diet Quality Among Children and Adults in France.","authors":"Rozenn Gazan, Matthieu Maillot, Florent Vieux, Romane Poinsot, Adam Drewnowski","doi":"10.1111/nbu.70057","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nbu.70057","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Consumption of foods containing live microbes has been associated with multiple health benefits. This study assessed exposure to live microbes in foods, including fermented foods, in the nationally representative INCA 3 dietary survey (2014-2015) in France. Foods in the French nutrient composition database (CIQUAL) were assigned to low, medium or high food groups of live microbe content. Dietary intakes came from the last French national dietary survey (INCA3 2014-2015). Participants were stratified by socio-demographic characteristics and by tertiles of medium/high food consumption. Diet quality measures were mean adequacy ratio (MAR, %), mean excess ratio (MER, %) and a score developed by the Programme National Nutrition Santé (sPNNS-GS2). Foods with Medium/High levels of live microbes were consumed by 97.7% of children and 98.4% of adults. Yogurt and cheese (unpasteurised) were the top sources of high food codes (99%). Vegetables and fruit (in particular, raw and unpeeled) were the top sources of medium food codes (75%). The leading fermented foods consumed in France were yogurt and cheese. Consumption of medium/high foods was 166.8 g/day for children and 215.9 g/day for adults. Medium/High foods accounted for < 4.5% of daily energy but provided > 10% of some key nutrients. Consumption of foods containing medium/high levels of live microbes was associated with higher socio-economic status and with higher quality diets. This was the first analysis of exposure to dietary live microbes in France by population strata.</p>","PeriodicalId":48536,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"245-257"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13254697/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148007168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nutrition BulletinPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-04-22DOI: 10.1111/nbu.70052
Glenn R Gibson
{"title":"Faecal Attraction: 40 Years of Research in Gut Microbiology.","authors":"Glenn R Gibson","doi":"10.1111/nbu.70052","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nbu.70052","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article summarises the 2025 British Nutrition Foundation Annual Lecture given on 25/11/25. It overviews aspects of research in anaerobic microbiology, principally involving the human gut. Until October 2025, Gibson was Professor of Food Microbiology at the University of Reading. His research investigated gut microbiome interactions and dietary intervention. The latter included human studies in healthy persons, patients with gut-related disorders, at-risk populations and specialist groups like sportspersons and those in the military. Initial principles such as the type of intervention, dose, duration and outcomes were tested using in vitro models of the human gut.</p>","PeriodicalId":48536,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"269-275"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13254692/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147786017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Flavonoids and Their Influence on the Gut Microbiome: Implications for Cardiovascular Health.","authors":"Parisa Ahmadi, Maryam Honardoost, Atousa Janzadeh, Soroush Taherkhani","doi":"10.1111/nbu.70039","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nbu.70039","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, necessitating effective preventive and therapeutic strategies. Flavonoids and polyphenols, which are abundant in colourful fruits and vegetables, have emerged as promising bioactive compounds for mitigating CVD. This study elucidates the mechanisms by which flavonoids exert cardioprotective effects through their antioxidant, prebiotic, and mitochondrial restorative properties. Flavonoids function as hydrogen donors, scavenging free radicals such as nitric oxide (NO<sup>•</sup>), superoxide anions (O<sup>•</sup>), and hydroxyl radicals (OH<sup>•</sup>), thereby reducing oxidative stress by decreasing inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity while enhancing endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) functionality to promote vasodilation and prevent hypertension. Additionally, flavonoids act as prebiotics, fostering the symbiotic gut microbiota (GM), including Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus, which produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and suppress pathogenic trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO)-producing bacteria. This enhances gut epithelial barrier integrity, reduces inflammation mediated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and protects against heart failure, ischaemia, and atherosclerosis. Under ischemic and heart failure conditions, flavonoids inhibit apoptosis, necrosis, ferroptosis, and fibrosis by restoring hypoxia-damaged mitochondrial function and cardiac energy metabolism. Furthermore, flavonoids prevent arteriosclerosis by inhibiting low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, reducing cholesterol absorption, promoting bile salt-hydrolysing bacteria, and decreasing vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 expression on coronary vessels. Here, we aim to advance the understanding of flavonoid-mediated cardioprotection by considering their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and gut microbiome-modulating effects, offering novel insights into dietary interventions for CVD prevention and management. The findings underscore the potential of flavonoids as accessible, natural agents to address global health disparities in CVD burden.</p>","PeriodicalId":48536,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"5-37"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146031250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nutrition BulletinPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-12-21DOI: 10.1111/nbu.70040
Adam Flensborg Safikhany, Dinesh Neupane, Tara Ballav Adhikari, Per Kallestrup, Cecilie Blenstrup Patsche
{"title":"Prevalence of the Double Burden of Malnutrition in Nepalese Students Aged 6-18 Years: An Urgent Call for Intervention.","authors":"Adam Flensborg Safikhany, Dinesh Neupane, Tara Ballav Adhikari, Per Kallestrup, Cecilie Blenstrup Patsche","doi":"10.1111/nbu.70040","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nbu.70040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The double burden of malnutrition (DBM), defined as the coexistence of undernutrition and overnutrition within the same population or individual, is a growing concern in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Nepal. Identifying malnutrition in schools supports targeted interventions. This study estimates the prevalence of stunting, underweight, overweight and obesity among Nepalese schoolchildren and examines the coexistence of stunting and overweight. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 11 782 students aged 6-18 years from 111 randomly selected schools in Kaski, Nepal. Sociodemographic data were collected via questionnaire, and trained researchers measured height and weight. Malnutrition was classified using the World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards, and chi-square tests were used for statistical comparisons. The prevalence of stunting, underweight, overweight and obesity was 15.8%, 6.1%, 10.7% and 3.3%, respectively, while 1.0% of students were both stunted and overweight/obese. Stunting was more common in rural schools (20.5% vs. 15.1%, p < 0.001), whereas overweight (11.2% vs. 7.1%, p < 0.001) and obesity (3.6% vs. 1.5%, p < 0.001) were more common in urban schools. Public school students were more often stunted (18.2% vs. 13.2%, p < 0.004) and underweight (6.7% vs. 5.4%, p < 0.001), whereas private school students were more often overweight (13.3% vs. 8.2%, p < 0.001) and obese (5.0% vs. 1.7%, p < 0.001). The DBM occurs at both school and individual levels, including within the same school, with undernutrition more common in rural and public schools and overnutrition in urban and private schools. Tailored school-based nutrition programmes are urgently needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":48536,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"95-103"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145806034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nutrition BulletinPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1111/nbu.70042
Emma J Derbyshire
{"title":"Eggs and Associated Nutrients: Implications for Brain Development and Function From Conception to Early Adulthood: A Narrative Review.","authors":"Emma J Derbyshire","doi":"10.1111/nbu.70042","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nbu.70042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Brain development is an ongoing process that occurs throughout the first 1000 days of life (conception until 2 years) and proceeds throughout childhood, adolescence and up until early adulthood. Adequate nutrient intakes are crucial for both neurodevelopment inside the womb and critical life-stages thereafter when the brain continues to grow and develop. This review critically summarises the current evidence for eggs and nutrients found in eggs in relation to their potential to support brain development and function. Twenty-one key publications, including a mixture of meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials (RCTs), clinical trials and observational studies, were identified, focusing on eggs or nutrients found in eggs that could influence brain development and function. Findings suggest that the consumption of eggs or nutrients found in eggs could have potential benefits for aspects of neurodevelopment, certain markers of motor development and academic performance. Eggs are high in protein, monounsaturated fatty acids, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin D, biotin, iodine, selenium and a source of vitamin A, folate, pantothenic acid and phosphorus. They also provide an array of nutrients and bioactive components, including docosahexaenoic acid, choline, lutein and zeaxanthin that have potential to reinforce brain growth and development. Given the nutrient-dense profile of eggs, consumption could be encouraged across life-stages that are physiologically demanding from a brain development, growth and function stance. This includes amongst women of childbearing age, infancy, childhood and adolescence. However, the extent to which egg intake can influence specific markers of brain/cognitive function requires further investigation.</p>","PeriodicalId":48536,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"46-66"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12930237/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145935569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nutrition BulletinPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1111/nbu.70046
Kathryn V Dalrymple
{"title":"Real World Evidence Versus Randomised Controlled Trials: Is the Future of Nutritional Sciences Research in Electronic Health Records?","authors":"Kathryn V Dalrymple","doi":"10.1111/nbu.70046","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nbu.70046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard of research studies. They aim to recruit participants with similar characteristics and randomly assign them to a treatment or control/placebo arm. Due to randomisation, RCTs provide comprehensive, unbiased evidence about treatment efficacy and safety and examine cause-and-effect relationships between the intervention and outcome. However, RCTs are expensive, recruitment can be time-consuming and high drop-out rates can reduce internal validity. Depending on the target population, findings are not always generalisable at a population level. Of relevance to nutritional sciences, due to the type of research questions, researchers and participants cannot always be blinded to randomisation. Electronic health records (EHRs) provide a possible solution to some of these constraints. Using data from healthcare systems may help to reduce costs and overcome logistical challenges as (1) pragmatic trials integrated into routine care enable real-time data analysis and faster translation of findings and (2) once dynamic longitudinal cohorts have been generated, they can be analysed using quasi-experimental designs. These have the potential to provide population level data with higher generalisability, lower attrition and greater statistical power. EHRs do come with their own challenges, including the lack of a uniform information infrastructure, missing data and data quality. There are also ethical considerations, as patients may not wish for their data to be used in a research capacity, which in turn can affect the generalisability of findings. When it comes to nutritional sciences and generating evidence, there is no one-size fits all approach. EHRs offer great potential for advancing certain research questions, such as when there is a population level intervention, for example, the soft drinks industry levy or the inclusion of folic acid in non-wholemeal wheat flour. EHRs offer the opportunity to integrate multiple datasets which will enable a comprehensive understanding of a nutrition intervention impact on health and disease in diverse populations and real-world settings. However, RCTs remain imperative for understanding causality. The scope of this review is to examine how RCTs and EHRs can be used to generate evidence in nutritional sciences, highlighting their respective opportunities and challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":48536,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"38-45"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12930233/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146041843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nutrition BulletinPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1111/nbu.70041
Gaëlle Arvisenet, Stéphanie Chambaron, Zaira Hernandez-Casiano, Hélène Gerard-Simonin, Corinne Tanguy, Clémentine Hugol-Gential, Anne Saint-Eve, Christian Salles
{"title":"'PULSE FICTION': Development of Slightly Processed Pulse-Based Foods and Recipes to Meet the Needs of Consumers and the Agricultural Sector and Improve Food Sustainability.","authors":"Gaëlle Arvisenet, Stéphanie Chambaron, Zaira Hernandez-Casiano, Hélène Gerard-Simonin, Corinne Tanguy, Clémentine Hugol-Gential, Anne Saint-Eve, Christian Salles","doi":"10.1111/nbu.70041","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nbu.70041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pulses offer significant nutritional and environmental benefits and are useful components of healthier, more sustainable diets and global food security. However, their consumption in France remains low and below the world average. Farmers face economic and technical challenges in diversifying crops, and current domestic production is insufficient to meet this low demand, resulting in continued reliance on imports. Production and consumption are closely linked: low consumer demands limit incentives for farmers to expand cultivation, while limited availability can also constrain uptake. One of the major barriers to consumption relates to preparation and processing. While consumers generally view raw or minimally processed pulses positively, they often avoid using them because they perceive them as time-consuming to prepare or associate them with undesirable sensory attributes (e.g., bitterness and astringency). It also might be difficult for consumers to categorize pulses according to their level of processing. Although pulse processing makes them more convenient for users, former studies suggest that consumers are suspicious about the processing of pulses, and that they may even confuse processing with ultra-processing. This suspicion could sometimes lead to rejection by consumers. The process should thus remain moderate. Encouraging the use of minimally processed pulses, which balance convenience and acceptance, is crucial for wider adoption. The aim of the PULSE FICTION project is to develop minimally processed pulse products with pulses as the main ingredient that align with consumer preferences, farmer constraints and sustainability goals. A key innovation will be the selection of intermediate food products (IFPs) on the basis of consumer and farmer input and chef-developed easy-to-make recipes. These products will be evaluated for their nutritional and sensory qualities, satiety, consumer acceptance and environmental impact. Beyond product development, PULSE FICTION explores the cognitive and sensory factors influencing consumer acceptability and designs effective communication strategies for all stakeholders to facilitate consumer adoption of pulse-based foods.</p>","PeriodicalId":48536,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"104-119"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12930230/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145918757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nutrition BulletinPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1111/nbu.70045
Tuğba Tuna, Zehra Batu
{"title":"The Relationship Between Climate Change Awareness, Sustainable Nutrition Behaviours and Acceptability of Alternative Protein Sources in Generation Z: A Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"Tuğba Tuna, Zehra Batu","doi":"10.1111/nbu.70045","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nbu.70045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigates the relationship between climate change awareness, sustainable nutrition behaviours, and the acceptability of alternative protein sources among Generation Z university students. This cross-sectional study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining structured quantitative measures and open-ended qualitative questions in a digital survey. A total of 785 university students aged 18-29 from Türkiye participated in the study. The survey included the Behavioural Scale for Sustainable Nutrition, the Global Climate Change Awareness Scale, and the Attitudes Toward Alternative Protein Sources Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, post hoc Tukey HSD tests, and correlation analyses (Pearson/Spearman) were conducted to examine the associations between climate change awareness, sustainable nutrition behaviours, and the acceptability of alternative protein sources, including edible mushrooms, algae, flowers, grasshoppers, crickets, and cultured meat. A statistically significant but moderate positive relationship was observed between climate change awareness and sustainable nutrition behaviours, particularly in food purchasing habits. A weaker but positive association was found for food preference, food waste reduction, and seasonal and local dietary practices. Participants reported low familiarity with alternative protein sources, with the highest acceptability for edible mushrooms (74.5%), followed by edible flowers (37.8%) and cultured meat (14.4%). While greater climate change awareness was linked to a higher willingness to consume certain alternative protein sources, this did not consistently translate into broader acceptance. These findings highlight the need for targeted awareness campaigns and educational initiatives to overcome cultural barriers and food neophobia, fostering a greater acceptance of sustainable protein sources.</p>","PeriodicalId":48536,"journal":{"name":"Nutrition Bulletin","volume":" ","pages":"79-94"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145918777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}