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Nutrients
Special Issues
Dietary Patterns, Food Choices, and Health Risk
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Dietary Patterns, Food Choices, and Health Risk

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 2291

Editors

Dr. Orouba Almilaji

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
2. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Health Service Research and Policy, 15-17 Tavistock Place, Kings Cross, London WC1H 9SH, UK
Interests: dietary patterns; mediterranean diet; DASH diet; plant-based diet; western diet; vitamin and mineral deficiencies; chronic disease; mental health; nutritional epidemiology
Dr. Fotini Tsofliou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK
Interests: obesity; appetite regulation; dietary patterns/quality; food groups; nutrients; metabolic health and disease; mood state; systematic reviews; nutrition interventions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Karim Khaled

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
Interests: epidemiology; nutritional epidemiology; public health; chronic disease epidemiology; mental health; nutrition and mental health; systematic reviews and meta-analysis; evidence synthesis; causal inference; structural equation modeling; biostatistics; lifestyle medicine; behavioral nutrition; preventive nutrition; population health; clinical research; artificial intelligence in health research; cancer epidemiology; cardiovascular epidemiology; research methods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Accumulating evidence indicates that established dietary patterns—such as the Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), plant-based, and Western diets—and everyday food choices significantly influence the risk of chronic and mental health disorders. These patterns and choices are shaped by a complex interplay of biological, environmental, socioeconomic, and psychological factors, including stress, emotional states, and mental well-being, which can profoundly affect what and how people eat.

This Special Issue aims to advance understanding of how dietary patterns and food selection behaviors contribute to the development and progression of cardiometabolic diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. Importantly, it also acknowledges the bidirectional relationship between diet and health: while poor dietary habits may increase health risk and mental problems, health challenges and psychological distress can, in turn, drive unhealthy food choices—such as increased consumption of ultra-processed or high-sugar foods.

While overall diet quality remains central, the role of specific nutritional components—including potential imbalances or deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals—will also be considered within the broader context of whole-diet approaches.

We welcome original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical trials that examine associations between dietary patterns, food choices, and health risks across diverse populations and life stages. Studies employing innovative methodologies—such as machine learning or other data-driven approaches—are particularly encouraged. The insights generated will help inform evidence-based dietary guidelines, public health strategies, and clinical interventions aimed at reducing the global burden of chronic disease and mental health disorders.

Dr. Orouba Almilaji
Dr. Fotini Tsofliou
Guest Editors

Dr. Karim Khaled
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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

  • dietary patterns
  • mediterranean diet
  • DASH diet
  • plant-based diet
  • western diet
  • vitamin and mineral deficiencies
  • chronic disease
  • mental health
  • nutritional epidemiology

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 272 KB  
Article
Lifetime Soy Intake and Adult Mammographic Density in Chinese Premenopausal Women
by Suzanne C. Ho, Norman F. Boyd, Wilson W. S. Tam, Winnie Yeo, Winnie C. W. Chu, Edwina K. F. So, Ruby Yu and Jean Woo
Nutrients 2026, 18(7), 1116; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18071116 - 31 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 910
Abstract
Background: Soy intake has been proposed as a protective factor for breast cancer, especially when exposure occurs early in life. Mammographic density (MD) is a strong predictor of breast cancer risk, but evidence linking soy intake at specific life stages to adult mammographic [...] Read more.
Background: Soy intake has been proposed as a protective factor for breast cancer, especially when exposure occurs early in life. Mammographic density (MD) is a strong predictor of breast cancer risk, but evidence linking soy intake at specific life stages to adult mammographic density remains limited. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations between dietary soy intake at different life stages and MD in premenopausal Chinese women. Methods: Dietary soy intake was assessed using a validated soy food frequency questionnaire for the past 12 months and retrospectively for earlier life stages (childhood: 6–12 years; adolescence: 13–18 years; young adulthood: 20–34 years), with recall aided by a life history calendar. MD was measured from bilateral cranio-caudal mammograms using a standardized computer-assisted method. Multivariable regression models were used to evaluate associations between soy protein and isoflavone intake at different life stages and MD, adjusting for relevant confounders. Results: Among 815 premenopausal women (mean age 40.9 y), mean current soy protein and isoflavone intakes were 10.3 g/day and 22.0 mg/day, respectively. Soy intakes across life stages were moderately correlated (r = 0.33–0.81). After multivariable adjustment, soy protein intake during adolescence (β = −0.067, SE = 0.029, p = 0.023) and childhood (β = −0.071, SE = 0.032, p = 0.028) was significantly and inversely associated with adult MD. Young adult intake showed a non-significant inverse trend (β = −0.052, p = 0.075), and current intake showed no association (p = 0.93). Higher mean early-life (ages 6–18) and life course soy intakes were also inversely associated with MD (β range: −0.077 to −0.082; all p < 0.05). Women with consistently high early-life soy intake had 5.8–6.6% lower adjusted MD than those with consistently low intake. Conclusions: Early-life soy exposure may influence adult breast tissue composition and represents a potentially modifiable protective factor in breast cancer prevention. These findings carry important public health implications, particularly for populations experiencing dietary westernization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Patterns, Food Choices, and Health Risk)
14 pages, 258 KB  
Article
Weight Bias Internalization Is Inversely Associated with Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet: The Greek Lifestyle and Obesity-Related Bias Survey
by Maria Dimitriou, Natalia Chatzaki, Dimitra Kostara, Maria-Eleni Tsialta, Alexandra Miliou, Sofia Mpanti, Lydia Stalidi, Maria G. Grammatikopoulou and Dimitrios Poulimeneas
Nutrients 2026, 18(5), 866; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18050866 - 7 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 774
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Internalized weight bias has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes and maladaptive eating-related behaviors. However, its relationship with habitual dietary intake and overall diet quality remains insufficiently explored. The objective of this study was to examine associations between internalized weight [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Internalized weight bias has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes and maladaptive eating-related behaviors. However, its relationship with habitual dietary intake and overall diet quality remains insufficiently explored. The objective of this study was to examine associations between internalized weight bias and habitual energy intake, macronutrient composition, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet among adults with a history of overweight or obesity. Methods: In this web-based cross-sectional study, 484 adults with a history of excess body mass index completed validated assessments of internalized weight bias (Weight Bias Internalization Scale–Modified; WBIS-M) and usual dietary intake (69-item Food Frequency Questionnaire). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MeDi) was assessed via the MedDietScore. Multivariable analyses adjusted for several covariates were performed. Results: Higher levels of internalized weight bias were associated with lower adherence to the MeDi (Badj = −0.670, p = 0.025). Higher adherence to the MeDi was associated with reduced odds of being classified in the medium or the highest WBIS-M tertile, corresponding to an approximately 5% reduction per 1-unit increment in the MedDietScore. No associations were observed between internalized weight bias and total energy intake. At the macronutrient level, higher internalized weight bias was associated with higher saturated fat intake, independent of total energy intake. Conclusions: Internalized weight bias was associated with poorer habitual diet quality and unfavorable macronutrient profiles, independent of total energy intake. These findings suggest that internalized weight bias relates to qualitative differences in habitual food choices, highlighting the potential importance of addressing weight bias in efforts to improve diet quality among adults with overweight or obesity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Patterns, Food Choices, and Health Risk)
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