The Role of Physical Activity and Diet in the Prevention and Management of Chronic Diseases
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2026 | Viewed by 311
Editors
2. Center for Studies on Natural Resources, Environment, and Society (CERNAS), Polytechnic University of Coimbra, Bencanta, 3045-601 Coimbra, Portugal
3. SPRINT—Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center, Polytechnic University of Coimbra, Rua Dom João III—Solum, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: psychobiology of exercise; frailty and sarcopenia; behaviour changes; active aging and lifestyle promotion; exercise in chronic diseases
2. RISE—Health, Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Edifício de Geociências, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
3. Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health, and Leisure (CIAFEL), Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
4. Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal
Interests: nutrition; dietary patterns; nutritional epidemiology; obesity; diet assessment; dietary surveys
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. H&TRC—Health & Technology Research Center, Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic University of Coimbra, 3045-093 Coimbra, Portugal
3. Sports and Physical Activity Research Center, University of Coimbra, 3040-248 Coimbra, Portugal
4. Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: health sciences; dietary patterns; dietary surveys; sustainable and healthy diet; medical and health sciences
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The increasing prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs), including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and metabolic disorders, represents one of the greatest global public health challenges. Strong evidence supports the central role of physical activity and healthy dietary patterns in both the prevention and management of these conditions; however, important gaps persist in relation to optimal intervention strategies, emerging therapeutic approaches, underlying biological mechanisms, and the effective translation of scientific evidence into clinical practice and community settings.
This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, randomized controlled trials, feasibility studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and translational research addressing diverse methods and protocols related to physical activity and nutrition. We particularly encourage submissions that integrate novel or innovative approaches, including the following thematic areas:
- Emerging pharmacological strategies for weight management and their interaction with diet and exercise;
- Nutritional interventions combined with structured exercise programs, including disease-focused dietary patterns such as plant-based diets (PBDs), DASH, Mediterranean, and other therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing or managing NCDs, controlling blood pressure, improving metabolic health, reducing inflammation, and supporting cardiovascular prevention;
- Supplementation strategies combined with exercise/physical activities, ranging from traditional supplements (e.g., whey protein, creatine, omega-3, or vitamin D) to novel formulations and nutraceuticals, and their effects on cardiometabolic and functional health;
- Innovative exercise modalities, such as short-duration or “exercise snack” protocols, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), high-intensity interval endurance training (HIET), and exercise in clinical or special populations;
- Co-created and community-based physical activity programs, developed in partnership with participants, healthcare professionals, or local stakeholders;
- Exercise and nutrition interventions implemented in primary care or real-world settings, using hybrid effectiveness–implementation frameworks such as RE-AIM;
- Theoretical and behavioral approaches based on exercise/PA combined with supplementation, aimed at promoting long-term lifestyle change, adherence, and self-management of chronic diseases;
- Mechanistic studies exploring vascular function, inflammation, oxidative stress, metabolism, body composition, and functional capacity in response to combined lifestyle interventions.
This Special Issue seeks to advance interdisciplinary knowledge, stimulate methodological innovation, and bridge the gap between research and practice. The ultimate goal is to inform scalable, sustainable, and evidence-based strategies for the prevention and management of chronic diseases across the lifespan, with special attention to aging and high-risk populations.
Dr. Guilherme Eustáquio Furtado
Dr. Sandra Abreu
Dr. Margarida Liz Martins
Guest Editors
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
- physical activity
- nutrition and diet
- chronic diseases
- hypertension and cardiometabolic health
- lifestyle interventions
- plant-based and DASH diets
- implementation science
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