James R Hébert , Richard Holmberg , Morgan Boncyk , Geoffrey Scott , E Angela Murphy , Lorne J Hofseth
{"title":"Perspective: Food Environment, Climate Change, Inflammation, Diet, and Health","authors":"James R Hébert , Richard Holmberg , Morgan Boncyk , Geoffrey Scott , E Angela Murphy , Lorne J Hofseth","doi":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100504","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100504","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human activities contribute to large shifts in the global climate, with far-reaching impacts on ecosystems, societies, and human health. Modern food systems—designed to produce convenience foods that tend to have high inflammatory potential—exacerbate environmental degradation and shape the interwoven challenges of climate, nutrition, and health. Over the past 3 decades, extreme weather has worsened, and poor diets have led to more inflammation-related health problems—2 parallel trends that are exposing system-wide weaknesses and harming global health. Is there evidence of a connection between environmental degradation and inflammation? The medical and environmental literatures were searched by combining “climate change” OR “environmental factors” OR “food systems” AND “inflammation” AND “diet.” All permutations of these terms were used, and all terms were searched as both text words and MeSH terms. The literature on inflammation and health is vast (∼750,000 articles in the National Library of Medicine [NLM]) as is the literature on diet and health (>1.8 million articles in the NLM). Interest in global climate change is growing (∼39,000 references in the NLM and >650,000 references in the Web of Science Core Collection). Although the literature at the intersections of diet and inflammation with either climate change or, especially, food systems is small, evidence points to a connection between global climate changes and inflammation operating mainly through food systems. Large-scale industrialized agriculture and other environmental changes that are heating the planet produce food commodities that are causally related to inflammatory processes within organisms. The interplay between individuals’ dietary decisions and system-level decisions regarding food production and processing sets the stage for deepening understanding of connections revealed in the literature and developing a multifaceted approach to address these critical problems that encompass individual behavior change and collaborative initiatives across sectors to effect meaningful change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7349,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nutrition","volume":"16 10","pages":"Article 100504"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145008659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Federica Tambaro , Carmen Gallicchio , Simona Orlando , Sara Carnevale , Maurizio Muscaritoli
{"title":"The Conundrum of XenomiRs and Human Health","authors":"Federica Tambaro , Carmen Gallicchio , Simona Orlando , Sara Carnevale , Maurizio Muscaritoli","doi":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100510","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100510","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs involved in posttranscriptional gene regulation in both animal and plant. miRNAs derived from edible plants, referred to as xenomiRs, are proposed to cross-kingdom barriers and to modulate mammalian gene expression. However, this dietary xenomiR hypothesis remains controversial, given numerous inconsistencies and conflicting evidence regarding stability, bioavailability, and functionality of xenomiRs in mammals. Despite promising findings, including reports of plant-derived miRNAs influencing mammalian gene expression in vitro and in animal models, evidence remains inconclusive in humans. Several independent investigations have reported contradictory findings, emphasizing reproducibility lack in identifying and validating the transfer of xenomiRs from plants to mammals, which has raised concerns about the robustness, reliability, and biological significance of some results. Additionally, no direct molecular evidence currently demonstrates that plant xenomiRs bind to mammalian silencing machinery. Although the concept of plant-derived xenomiRs holds significant potential, future research must address unresolved technical and biological limitations. If validated, this hypothesis may represent a novel avenue for epigenetic modulation through dietary intervention in precision medicine and personalized nutrition. This comprehensive narrative review critically provides an overview of the dietary xenomiR hypothesis, specifically focusing on those derived from edible plants. We summarize the current evidence regarding xenomiR cross-kingdom communication potential, and we discuss technical and biological challenges that impede their validation. We also explore the speculative yet plausible scenario that dietary miRNAs may act locally on the microbiota rather than systemically.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7349,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nutrition","volume":"16 10","pages":"Article 100510"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145058839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Justin Tang , Luke Krushelnycky , Abir Shaqo , Clara E Cho
{"title":"A Comprehensive Review of Nutritional Influences on the Serotonergic System","authors":"Justin Tang , Luke Krushelnycky , Abir Shaqo , Clara E Cho","doi":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100524","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100524","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) is a critical monoamine neurotransmitter and hormone that orchestrates a vast array of physiological and psychological processes, including mood, sleep, appetite, and gastrointestinal motility. Serotonin synthesis is dependent on the availability of its dietary precursor, the essential amino acid tryptophan, and it affects biochemical pathways that may be modulated by other nutrients. We conducted a literature search to comprehensively examine the nutritional influences on the serotonergic system. Relevant original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical trial reports were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, with additional articles identified from reference lists of published review papers. Key nutritional determinants of serotonergic function include macronutrients that influence the tryptophan-to-large neutral amino acid ratio (a regulator of tryptophan availability in the brain) and micronutrients, such as B-vitamins, vitamin D, iron, and magnesium, that serve as essential cofactors in serotonin synthesis and metabolism. Emerging evidence also highlights the role of the gut microbiota, shaped by dietary components, prebiotics, and probiotics, in modulating serotonergic function across both central and peripheral systems. Nutritional factors that affect serotonin have been increasingly linked to conditions such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, disordered eating, obesity, and irritable bowel syndrome. Altogether, this review emphasizes the profound impact of nutrition on serotonergic regulation and advocates for targeted dietary approaches as promising catalysts for optimizing human health. Key research gaps and future directions are outlined to help advance the translation of current evidence into precise nutritional guidelines and clinical applications, with the complexity of serotonin pathways as an important consideration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7349,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nutrition","volume":"16 11","pages":"Article 100524"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145151812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Serena Gandino , Tanya Cassidy , Marzia Giribaldi , Magdalena Babiszewska-Aksami , Agnieszka Bzikowska-Jura , Laura Cavallarin , Karolina Karcz , Daniel Klotz , Chiara Peila , Carolyn Smith , Bartłomiej Walczak , Aleksandra Wesolowska
{"title":"A Systematic Review on the Influence of Feeding Expressed Mother’s Own Milk Using Varying Expression Practices or Treatments on Health and Growth of Recipient Infants","authors":"Serena Gandino , Tanya Cassidy , Marzia Giribaldi , Magdalena Babiszewska-Aksami , Agnieszka Bzikowska-Jura , Laura Cavallarin , Karolina Karcz , Daniel Klotz , Chiara Peila , Carolyn Smith , Bartłomiej Walczak , Aleksandra Wesolowska","doi":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100523","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100523","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>When feeding at the breast is not possible, infants can still receive expressed mother’s own milk (MOM). Method of expression, hygiene practices and settings during expression, and processing can affect MOM composition. This study aimed to review current evidence on the influence of feeding MOM expressed using varying expression methods, hygiene practices or settings during expression, or treatments on the health and growth of recipient infants. We systematically searched CENTRAL, CINAHL, <span><span>clinicaltrials.gov</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>, Embase, Emcare, EU trials, Global Health, Global Index Medicus, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and WHO for primary research studies, including observational studies, published up to March 2024 evaluating different methods of MOM expression, hygiene practices or settings during expression, and methods processing of MOM and reporting clinical outcomes on recipient infants. Key outcomes of interest were growth, mortality, morbidity, feeding tolerance, adverse events, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, retroviral infection, other infections, nutrient deficiencies, neurodevelopment, and breastfeeding. Qualitative thematic synthesis was conducted. An evidence gap map was produced using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Of 29,320 studies screened, 45 met the inclusion criteria. No expression method or pump type showed clear benefits for breastfeeding rates or infant growth. Three studies reported improved weight gain in infants receiving hindmilk. Evidence on the effect of processing methods on morbidity and mortality was inconclusive. Limited evidence was found on the efficacy of the freeze-thaw cycle in reducing CMV transmission, whereas pasteurization proved more effective. No studies assessed clinical outcomes related to hygiene practices or expression settings. The use of hindmilk improves infant weight gain with some certainty of evidence. Hand expression of MOM has similar efficacy to that of electric pumping on the growth of recipient infants, including preterm infants. Evidence on clinical outcomes of different MOM expression practices and treatments is very limited. This work underscores the need for future studies to address the substantial evidence gaps identified.</div><div>This study was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42024523299.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7349,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nutrition","volume":"16 11","pages":"Article 100523"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145115082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sharvari Patwardhan , Morgan Boncyk , Rasmi Avula , Christine E Blake , Fahmida Akter , Jai K Das , Renuka Silva , Purnima Menon , Samuel Scott
{"title":"Food Acquisition, Preparation, and Consumption Practices in South Asia: A Scoping Review of Assessment Tools","authors":"Sharvari Patwardhan , Morgan Boncyk , Rasmi Avula , Christine E Blake , Fahmida Akter , Jai K Das , Renuka Silva , Purnima Menon , Samuel Scott","doi":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100518","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100518","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Assessing behaviors related to food choice at individual and household levels is essential for improving household diets, but assessment tools are limited. We conducted a scoping review to identify gaps in existing assessment tools for food acquisition, preparation, and household consumption practices in South Asia, where diets are rapidly changing. We undertook systematic keyword searches of 3 databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection) to identify studies assessing food acquisition, food preparation, and household consumption practices in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, published in English between 2000 and April 2025. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts and extracted data on study characteristics and the assessment tools used to examine the food choice behaviors. Of 13,160 unique articles identified, 50 were included for synthesis. Food acquisition behaviors (e.g., what and how often food is purchased, changes in food purchases) were assessed by 26 studies, food preparation (e.g., cooking habits, intrahousehold distribution of responsibilities, preparation methods) by 9 studies, and household consumption practices (e.g., timing, snacking, meal skipping, eating away from the home) by 30 studies. Most studies used quantitative methods (<em>n</em> = 34), some used qualitative methods (<em>n</em> = 13), and few used mixed methods (<em>n</em> = 3). Likert scales and semistructured interviews were the most used tools for quantitative and qualitative assessments, respectively. Across the 50 studies, 40 different tools were used to assess food-related behaviors, and only 14 studies claimed to be using validated tools. Few studies included a full tool in the text or supplemental material (<em>n</em> = 23). Currently, there is little alignment on how to assess food choice behaviors in South Asia, highlighting the need for a contextually adaptable repository of tools. Adapting and validating existing tools, rather than creating new ones, could improve efficiency, continuity, and comparability.</div><div>This study was registered at Open Science Framework Registries as <span><span>https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5GPEF</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7349,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nutrition","volume":"16 11","pages":"Article 100518"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145103071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Manuela Campisi , Luana Cannella , Francesco Visioli , Sofia Pavanello
{"title":"A Systematic Review of Food-Derived DNA Methyltransferase Modulators: Mechanistic Insights and Perspectives for Healthy Aging","authors":"Manuela Campisi , Luana Cannella , Francesco Visioli , Sofia Pavanello","doi":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100521","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100521","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>DNA methylation represents a crucial epigenetic mechanism orchestrating gene expression, cellular homeostasis, and the aging trajectory. Dysregulation of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs)—the enzymes catalyzing this process—has been implicated in a wide spectrum of chronic conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Emerging evidence suggests that food-derived bioactive compounds can act as DNMT inhibitors, reshaping epigenetic landscapes. This systematic review, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022320316), critically evaluated in vitro, in vivo animal, and ex vivo studies investigating the effects of dietary bioactives on DNMT expression and activity. A thorough search of PubMed up to 23 May, 2025, yielded 103 studies, of which 76 met the inclusion criteria. Eligible publications were original, peer-reviewed, and provided evidence from in vitro, in vivo animal, or ex vivo models. Frequently studied bioactives included epigallocatechin-3-gallate, curcumin, genistein, resveratrol, sulforaphane, and folate. Notably, nearly 90% of studies reported DNMT inhibition—often dose- and time-dependent. Approximately 21% defined minimal effective concentrations, predominantly for isolated compounds. Several studies described synergistic interactions between bioactives, and emerging data highlighted the gut microbiota’s mediating role in epigenetic modulation. Despite promising outcomes, the predominance of preclinical evidence and variability in experimental protocols and dosing limit the immediate translational impact. Nonetheless, current findings underscore the promise of dietary DNMT modulators as foundational elements for precision nutrition strategies aimed at promoting healthy aging and mitigating age-associated disease risk. The potential application of DNA methylation age as a biomarker of biological aging has been increasingly supported by recent literature, reinforcing its relevance in future nutritional epigenetics research. Further well-designed clinical trials are warranted to assess long-term efficacy, safety, and bioavailability of these compounds and to validate their use in personalized epigenetic interventions using biological aging markers. This review was funded by the European Union—Next Generation EU, PNRR Project Age-It (DM 1557 11.10.2022), and the University of Padua SID Grant (2024DCTV1SIDPROGETTI-00194).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7349,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nutrition","volume":"16 11","pages":"Article 100521"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145103043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tair Ben-Porat , Shiri Sherf-Dagan , Marilou Côté , Cherie Josephine Miner , Assaf Buch
{"title":"Nutritional Challenges of Incretin-Based Obesity Management Medications: Implications for Clinical Practice","authors":"Tair Ben-Porat , Shiri Sherf-Dagan , Marilou Côté , Cherie Josephine Miner , Assaf Buch","doi":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100522","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100522","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Several novel incretin-based obesity management medications (OMMs) have recently been approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight. These agents have demonstrated substantial weight reduction effects alongside glucoregulatory and cardioprotective benefits. However, the use of incretin-based OMMs presents nutritional challenges that remain insufficiently addressed. These include side effects such as gastrointestinal disturbances and loss of lean body mass, which may compromise nutritional status, reduce energy expenditure, and heighten risk of rebound weight gain, sarcopenia, and frailty. Moreover, although these medications effectively suppress energy intake and reduce food quantity, they may also have unintended effects on diet quality, potentially influencing macronutrient distribution, ultraprocessed food consumption, risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and disordered eating behaviors, which could undermine long-term weight maintenance and the cardiometabolic benefits achieved through these pharmacotherapy agents. Emerging evidence suggests that specific dietary and behavioral strategies, such as higher protein intake, resistance training, nutrient-dense eating patterns, and fostering adaptive eating behaviors, may help mitigate nutritional challenges and physiologic deterioration during significant weight reduction while also supporting cardiometabolic health maintenance. However, the application of these strategies as adjunct treatments alongside the new OMMs remains unclear. This narrative review summarizes the current literature on these issues and proposes dietary interventions and behavioral modification strategies aimed at mitigating the adverse effects that can be associated with incretin-based OMMs. These considerations are increasingly important given the expanding use of these medications, the degree of weight reduction they induce, and the implications for specific at-risk groups, including aging populations prone to muscle and functional decline and individuals with pre-existing conditions of nutritional deficiencies, chronic diseases, and disordered eating patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7349,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nutrition","volume":"16 11","pages":"Article 100522"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145103090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cristina Jiménez-Arroyo, Natalia Molinero, M Victoria Moreno-Arribas
{"title":"Gut Microbiota and Nutrition in Nursing Homes: Challenges and Translational Approaches for Healthy Aging","authors":"Cristina Jiménez-Arroyo, Natalia Molinero, M Victoria Moreno-Arribas","doi":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100520","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing aging population is leading to an increase in demand for long-term care. This is particularly true in nursing homes, where residents are exposed to various challenges such as immunosenescence, frailty, multimorbidity, and dietary and environmental constraints. These interrelated factors contribute to gut microbiota alterations, underscoring the need for tailored strategies to preserve health and resilience in a long-term care setting. Despite its recognized relevance in healthy aging, the gut microbiome of institutionalized elderly remains markedly understudied. This review provides a comprehensive report of the current evidence on the interplay between diet, gut microbiota, and aging among nursing-home residents. The available literature suggests that both aging and institutional living contribute to a less favorable microbiome profile, and several contributing factors, many of them dietary, have been identified. Altered gastrointestinal physiology, malnutrition, and other common conditions in residential care, such as functional or cognitive impairments, frequently lead to changes in food intake that affect the gut ecosystem. Decline in immune system, increased infection risk, sarcopenia, cognitive deterioration, and high medication burden have also been linked to microbiota disruptions in this population. Importantly, adjusting several modifiable features of institutional care, particularly those related to diet and lifestyle, may help counteract these effects by supporting gut health. We further examine how appropriate nutritional strategies can positively influence gut microbiota composition and function, offering a pathway to promote resilience and functionality even in the presence of geriatric syndromes. In addition to identifying these challenges, this review outlines feasible, microbiota-informed strategies to improve quality of life and health outcomes. These include individualized dietary adaptations, targeted supplementation, physical activity interventions, and the integration of digital and artificial intelligence tools to support personalized nutrition. Finally, we highlight the need for standardized protocols and implementation science frameworks to enhance clinical translation, thereby advancing an integrative and as yet underrepresented perspective on microbiota-based strategies to promote healthier aging trajectories in institutionalized elderly.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7349,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nutrition","volume":"16 11","pages":"Article 100520"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145092851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Folate","authors":"Zoe Lofft , Timothy J Green , Angela M Devlin","doi":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100519","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100519","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7349,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nutrition","volume":"16 11","pages":"Article 100519"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145092867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Teresa R Schwendler , Edward A Frongillo , Hope C Craig , Giles T Hanley-Cook , Isabela Fleury Sattamini , Chika Hayashi , Vrinda Mehra , Alissa M Pries , Kuntal Saha , Jennifer C Coates
{"title":"Universal Subconstructs of a Healthy Diet for Children and Adolescents: A Critical Review","authors":"Teresa R Schwendler , Edward A Frongillo , Hope C Craig , Giles T Hanley-Cook , Isabela Fleury Sattamini , Chika Hayashi , Vrinda Mehra , Alissa M Pries , Kuntal Saha , Jennifer C Coates","doi":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100511","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.advnut.2025.100511","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To monitor diets among children and adolescents, a thorough understanding of the underlying subconstructs of a healthy diet is needed to inform what should be measured. The aim of this study was to identify universal subconstructs of a healthy diet for children and adolescents aged 2–19 y, understand alignment with subconstructs for adults, and inform recommendations for metrics that aim to monitor the healthiness of diets among children and adolescents at global and national levels. A critical narrative review was carried out in 3 phases. Phase 1: A systematic review of literature published between 2014 and 2024 was conducted. A subset of articles (<em>n</em> = 100) was purposefully sampled based on predefined characteristics. Then, content analysis was performed to identify subconstructs of healthy diets. Phase 2: The identified dietary subconstructs were compared with the 6 subconstructs for adults recognized by the Healthy Diets Monitoring Initiative (HDMI). Phase 3: The identified subconstructs were compared with existing healthy diet metrics concurrently identified by HDMI as suitable for global monitoring of child and adolescent diets. Eight subconstructs specific to children and adolescents were identified: nutrient, energy, and food group requirements; foods and nutrients to limit or avoid; food group diversity and variety; macronutrient and energy balance; nutrient-rich foods or food groups; food safety; eating frequency; and eating regularity. Compared with the 6 subconstructs of adult healthy diets identified by HDMI, 2 subconstructs differed in their operationalization and 2 child- and adolescent-specific subconstructs were considered to be not conceptually distinct. Diet metrics identified as suitable for global monitoring of child and adolescent diets reflect nutrient, energy, and food group requirements; foods and nutrients to limit or avoid; and food group diversity and variety but no other diet subconstructs. The findings inform the development and validation of healthy diet metrics for children and adolescents.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7349,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nutrition","volume":"16 11","pages":"Article 100511"},"PeriodicalIF":9.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145082479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}