Mediterranean Diet, Behavioral Addictions, and Lifestyle Patterns
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2027 | Viewed by 335
Editors
Interests: diet; obesity; vascular function; cardiovascular disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: arterial stiffness; vascular aging; lifestyles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Behavioral addictions, including problematic smartphone use, internet addiction, gaming disorder, and gambling-related behaviors, are an emerging public health concern, particularly relevant among adolescents, young adults, and vulnerable populations. These behaviors have increasingly been associated with unhealthy lifestyle patterns, including poorer diet quality, greater sedentary behavior, sleep disturbances, emotional dysregulation, lower levels of physical activity, and poorer psychological well-being. However, the relationship between behavioral addictions and overall diet quality remains insufficiently explored.
The Mediterranean diet is widely recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns, characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, and fish, along with moderate consumption of dairy products and limited intake of ultra-processed foods, refined sugars, and saturated fats. Beyond its well-established cardiometabolic benefits, recent evidence suggests that greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet may also be associated with better mental health, greater emotional well-being, improved cognitive function, and healthier behavioral profiles. In this context, the Mediterranean diet may play a relevant role in the prevention, modulation, or clinical expression of behavioral addictions, either through direct nutritional mechanisms or through its association with other healthy lifestyle habits.
This Special Issue aims to bring together original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and high-quality narrative reviews examining the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and behavioral addictions. Particular attention will be given to studies focused on problematic smartphone use, internet addiction, gaming disorder, gambling with money, problematic screen use, and other non-substance-related addictive behaviors. Contributions examining the influence of other lifestyle factors—such as sleep quality, physical activity, sedentary time, mental health, emotional eating, social environment, and cardiometabolic risk—will also be especially welcome.
By integrating nutritional epidemiology, lifestyle medicine, digital health, psychiatry, psychology, and public health, this Special Issue aims to contribute to a better understanding of how dietary patterns and lifestyle behaviors interact in the development, maintenance, and potential prevention of behavioral addictions. Findings generated in this field may help inform preventive strategies, clinical interventions, and public health recommendations aimed at promoting healthier dietary and behavioral patterns across different population groups.
Prof. Dr. Manuel A. Gomez-Marcos
Dr. Leticia Gómez Sánchez
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- mediterranean diet
- behavioral addictions
- problematic smartphone use
- internet addiction
- gaming
- gambling disorder
- lifestyle
- sleep
- physical activity
- mental health
- public health
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