Nutritional Management of Adults with Obesity

A special issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144). This special issue belongs to the section "Endocrinology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 2255

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: nutrition; human nutrition; nutrition assessment; nutritional and metabolic diseases; obesity; cancer nutrition

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Guest Editor Assistant
Clinical Nutrition Unit and Oncological Metabolic Centre, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale—IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Interests: obesity; body composition; anthropometry; human nutrition; clinical nutrition; cancer nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the past, obesity did not have a specific and unanimous definition. For a long time, it was considered a condition and not a real pathology. Many things have changed in the last decade, as obesity has finally been recognized as a real pathology. Obesity is now defined as a heterogeneous, complex, multifactorial, genetically predetermined, progressive, and relapsing chronic disease caused by an abnormal or excessive deposit and accumulation of body fat, in relation to lean mass to such an extent that it adversely affects the state of health, with significant medical, psychological, and social consequences. Epidemiological and clinical evidence has shown that obesity is a condition that can promote (or exacerbate) the onset of various complications and/or disabilities and increase the risk of premature mortality for cardiovascular diseases and all causes.

Since 1975, the WHO has noted a worrying increase in the prevalence of obesity in all countries of the world. In 1997, the WHO issued a warning, stating that obesity could take on the connotations of a global epidemic (Globesity). According to the latest data from the WHO, in 2022, 43% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight, and 16% were living with obesity.

Clinical obesity management is quite complex. A multidimensional approach should ideally be adopted that involves a combination of various therapeutic approaches, including lifestyle modification, dietary intervention, the promotion of physical activity and exercise, behavioral modifications, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric procedures (nonsurgical and/or surgical procedures). Dietary intervention has always been one of the fundamental pillars of obesity treatment.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to discuss matters associated with obesity and its management, with a particular focus on the nutritional management of adults with obesity.

The scope of this Special Issue is deliberately broad to encourage the coverage of a wide range of topics and perspectives related to the nutritional management of adults with obesity. Therefore, this Special Issue welcomes the submission of a wide range of original research and review articles focusing on the nutritional management of adults with obesity.

We would like to invite you to submit papers thematically connected to the scope of this Special Issue.

Dr. Alessandro Laviano
Guest Editor

Dr. Salvatore Vaccaro
Guest Editor Assistant

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Keywords

  • obesity
  • metabolic phenotype of obesity
  • nutritional management
  • nutritional intervention
  • nutritional educational program
  • precision nutrition
  • food compounds
  • dietary patterns
  • medical nutrition therapy (MNT)
  • lifestyle intervention
  • physical activity program
  • traditional and innovative diets
  • therapeutic innovations

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

35 pages, 2268 KB  
Review
Nutritional Status in Obesity: A Comprehensive Narrative Review of Dysbiosis, Micronutrient Deficiencies and the Effects of Probiotics/Synbiotics
by Andra-Diana Cecan, Adriana-Florinela Cătoi, Anca But and Iulia-Ioana Morar
Medicina 2026, 62(3), 458; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina62030458 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 1237
Abstract
Obesity is a chronic, relapse-prone disease often associated with comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Intestinal dysbiosis, defined as an imbalance in the composition and function of the gut microbiota, is commonly observed in individuals with excess [...] Read more.
Obesity is a chronic, relapse-prone disease often associated with comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Intestinal dysbiosis, defined as an imbalance in the composition and function of the gut microbiota, is commonly observed in individuals with excess body weight and plays a key role in the development of related metabolic complications. Moreover, dysbiosis can disrupt nutrient metabolism, leading to imbalances in energy homeostasis. Those affected by excess weight frequently exhibit deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals, which further exacerbate metabolic and inflammatory dysfunctions, accelerating the progression of comorbidities. Studies have shown that the gut microbiota in individuals with obesity differs significantly from that of healthy, normal-weight individuals. Obesity often shows alterations in the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes (F/B), with individual variability and reduced bacterial diversity, although the F/B ratio alone may not consistently reflect dysbiosis. Prolonged or repeated antibiotic use can further disturb the microbiota, worsening dysbiosis and contributing to the development of excess body weight by impairing energy metabolism and promoting systemic inflammation. Recent evidence suggests that probiotics are a safe and promising therapeutic approach for managing metabolic disorders. Several in vivo and clinical studies have reported a potential causal relationship between probiotic supplementation and the improvement of weight-related conditions. This narrative review aims to explore the alterations of gut microbiota in obesity and their impact on nutritional deficiencies. Additionally, it highlights the potential role of probiotics in restoring microbiota balance and improving metabolic dysfunctions related to excess body weight. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional Management of Adults with Obesity)
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