Nutrition and Chronic Pain: Clinical and Population-Based Evidence and Mechanistic Insights
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2026 | Viewed by 800
Special Issue Editor
Interests: chronic pain; functional impairment; cognitive impairment; nutrition interventions; mind–body interventions; dietary supplements and other natural products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Chronic pain—defined as pain persisting for at least three months after an injury—poses a major public health challenge. It is associated with substantial healthcare costs and contributes to reduced physical function and diminished quality of life (Elma, 2022). Although the etiology of chronic pain is multifactorial, growing evidence implicates neuroinflammation and maladaptive neuroplastic changes as key mechanisms underlying its persistence (Field, 2021). Pharmacologic treatments, while commonly prescribed, often yield limited symptom relief and can produce significant adverse effects (Qaseem, 2017). Consequently, clinical guidelines increasingly emphasize nonpharmacologic, integrative approaches as first-line management, including dietary interventions, dietary supplements, physical therapy, acupuncture, and mind–body therapies (Qaseem, 2017).
This Special Issue invites contributions that explore integrative approaches for managing chronic pain, with a particular focus on interventions that include a nutritional component or measurement. Submissions may include primary or secondary analyses from clinical trials, observational studies, or mechanistic investigations that elucidate the role of nutrition or dietary supplements within multimodal pain management strategies. We also welcome systematic reviews and meta-analyses that synthesize recent high-quality clinical evidence. Papers that integrate nutritional strategies with other nonpharmacologic modalities are encouraged. Prospective authors are invited to contact the Guest Editors with questions or to discuss the suitability of proposed manuscripts.
Looking forward to chatting with you about potential manuscripts.
- Elma, Ö.; Brain, K.; Dong, H.-J. The Importance of Nutrition as a Lifestyle Factor in Chronic Pain Management: A Narrative Review. J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11, 5950. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11195950.
- Field R, Pourkazemi F, Turton J, Rooney K. Dietary Interventions Are Beneficial for Patients with Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Pain Med. 2021, 22(3), 694. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnaa378. PMID: 33202007.
- Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians; Denberg TD, Barry MJ, Boyd C, Chow RD, Fitterman N, Harris RP, Humphrey LL, Vijan S. Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017, 166, 514. https://doi.org/10.7326/M16-2367. PMID: 28192789.
Dr. Keturah R. Faurot
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- chronic pain
- integrative medicine
- nutritional interventions
- nonpharmacologic therapies
- lifestyle modification
- dietary supplements
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