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Diet, Health, and Society: Advances in Nutritional Epidemiology for Public...
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Diet, Health, and Society: Advances in Nutritional Epidemiology for Public Health

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 May 2026 | Viewed by 1223

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Vered Kaufman-Shriqui

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Department of Nutrition, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
Interests: childhood obesity; community nutrition; eating behaviors; epidemiology; food environment; health disparities; public health nutrition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Understanding how diet influences population health lies at the center of modern public health. As nutritional epidemiology advances, new analytical tools, digital technologies, and biomarker-based approaches are reshaping how we examine diet–disease relationships within their social, cultural, and environmental contexts. This Special Issue welcomes original research, systematic reviews, and methodological papers that deepen our collective understanding of dietary patterns, nutritional determinants of chronic disease, and the societal factors that shape nutrition and health.

We particularly encourage submissions that clarify which research tools and methods enhance the public health relevance of nutritional research and that expand knowledge on the mechanisms through which diet contributes to improved health outcomes. Studies employing innovative tools such as metabolomics, machine learning, and geospatial or longitudinal designs are particularly encouraged. Studies addressing methodological challenges, including measurement error, causal inference, and the integration of complex data, are also welcome.

By gathering research that links methodological innovation with public health application, this Special Issue will highlight approaches and evidence that can guide policy, reduce health inequalities, and promote sustainable and health-supportive diets for populations worldwide.

Dr. Vered Kaufman-Shriqui
Guest Editor

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-blind 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

  • chronic disease prevention
  • dietary patterns
  • geospatial analysis
  • health inequalities
  • metabolomics
  • methodological challenges
  • nutrition epidemiology
  • public health nutrition
  • social determinants of diet

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 631 KB  
Article
Association Between Dietary Animal Protein and Depression in a General Population
by Sunghee Lee
Nutrients 2026, 18(7), 1104; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18071104 - 30 Mar 2026
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Because of conflicting evidence about the effects of protein sources on mental health, this study aimed to investigate whether animal or plant protein intake is associated with depression. Methods: Among 17,125 adults (7287 men and 9838 women) from nationally representative survey data, [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Because of conflicting evidence about the effects of protein sources on mental health, this study aimed to investigate whether animal or plant protein intake is associated with depression. Methods: Among 17,125 adults (7287 men and 9838 women) from nationally representative survey data, the primary measure of depression was determined with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. A 24-h recall method was employed for dietary assessment. The associations between tertile ranges of animal or plant protein and depression were analyzed with weighted logistic models, adjusted for potential confounders. Results: Despite no association among men, women in the uppermost tertile of animal protein intake demonstrated a 36% lower likelihood of having depression [95% confidence interval 0.48–0.86]. Additionally, participants older than 65 years presented a significant trend toward lower likelihoods of depression associated with animal protein intake. Conclusions: This large cross-sectional study of the general population revealed that, regarding one of the common psychological disorders—depression—animal protein intake might have a beneficial association. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Health, and Society: Advances in Nutritional Epidemiology for Public Health)
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20 pages, 650 KB  
Article
Association Between Dietary Fiber Intake and Inflammatory Biomarkers in U.S. Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Pre-COVID-19 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017–2018
by Pablo Albiña-Palmarola, Yella Rottländer, Aracelly Solís Moyano and Hans Henkes
Nutrients 2026, 18(6), 972; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18060972 - 19 Mar 2026
Viewed by 238
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Dietary fiber has been associated with lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers, but nationally representative evidence using recent U.S. data remains limited. We evaluated the association between dietary fiber intake and inflammatory biomarkers in U.S. adults using the National Health and Nutrition Examination [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Dietary fiber has been associated with lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers, but nationally representative evidence using recent U.S. data remains limited. We evaluated the association between dietary fiber intake and inflammatory biomarkers in U.S. adults using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017–2018, the last fully completed cycle before the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a pre-pandemic benchmark for future comparisons. Methods: We analyzed 3570 adults (≥20 years) from NHANES 2017–2018 with complete dietary and biomarker data. Fiber intake was averaged from two 24 h recalls. Outcomes included serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP; primary outcome), white blood cell count (WBC), and neutrophil count. Survey-weighted regression models adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, clinical, and dietary covariates. Associations were examined continuously (per 5 g/day fiber), by quartiles, and with restricted cubic splines. Sensitivity analyses excluded participants with cardiometabolic conditions or modified covariate sets. Results: Each 5 g/day higher fiber intake was associated with 4–7% lower hs-CRP (p < 0.001). Participants in the highest versus lowest fiber quartile had 20.7% lower hs-CRP (95% CI −27.1, −14.4) and 47% lower odds of elevated hs-CRP (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.32–0.85). Secondary outcomes showed significant inverse associations: each +5 g/day was associated with −0.98% WBC (95% CI −1.84, −0.13; p = 0.024) and −1.44% neutrophils (95% CI −2.62, −0.26; p = 0.017) in fully adjusted models. Spline analyses showed no nonlinearity for WBC (p = 0.227) but nonlinear inverse associations for neutrophils (p = 0.0017). Sensitivity analyses confirmed robustness to exclusion of individuals with diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia, and to alternative covariate specifications. Conclusions: Higher dietary fiber intake was independently associated with a more favorable inflammatory biomarker profile (hs-CRP, WBC, and neutrophils) in U.S. adults, providing a pre-pandemic benchmark for future comparisons. Longitudinal and interventional studies are needed to clarify temporality and causality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Health, and Society: Advances in Nutritional Epidemiology for Public Health)
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15 pages, 373 KB  
Article
Dietary Inflammatory Index of Northern Mexican Indigenous Adults and Its Association with Obesity: Cross-Sectional Study
by José M. Moreno-Abril, Mónica D. Zuercher, Silvia Y. Moya-Camarena, Heliodoro Alemán-Mateo, Araceli Serna-Gutiérrez, René Urquidez-Romero, Ana C. Gallegos-Aguilar and Julián Esparza-Romero
Nutrients 2026, 18(2), 249; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18020249 - 13 Jan 2026
Viewed by 568
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Given the high prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in Indigenous adults from Sonora (IAS) and its strong association with diet, this study evaluates the association of dietary inflammatory index (DII) with obesity and abdominal obesity and its indicators, such as [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Given the high prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in Indigenous adults from Sonora (IAS) and its strong association with diet, this study evaluates the association of dietary inflammatory index (DII) with obesity and abdominal obesity and its indicators, such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), respectively. Methods: This cross-sectional study included data from 559 adults across two Indigenous populations (Seris and Yaquis) collected in two separate studies. Obesity and abdominal obesity were classified according to the definitions established by the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation. The DII was calculated with data from population-specific food frequency questionnaires. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the association between the DII variable (expressed as both numeric and categorical) and BMI and WC, separately; multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between obesity and abdominal obesity. Results: The prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity was 34.1% and 78.2%, respectively. There was a positive association between the DII and BMI (DII as numeric: β = 0.53, p = 0.001; tertile3 of DII vs. tertile1: β = 1.86, p = 0.001) and WC (DII as numeric: β = 1.15, p = 0.002; tertile3 of DII vs. tertile1: β = 3.81, p = 0.005). Similar results were found for both types of obesity. Conclusions: Higher DII scores were associated with increased obesity indicators (BMI and WC) and a higher risk of obesity and abdominal obesity in IAS. Promoting anti-inflammatory diets represents a feasible approach for preventing non-communicable diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diet, Health, and Society: Advances in Nutritional Epidemiology for Public Health)
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