Diet is a major contributor to human health and proper food choices can greatly improve prognosis (1). The mechanisms of action underlying the effects of selected food items are still under active investigation. This is why it is important to collect epidemiological, experimental, and biochemical data on individual food choices and health outcomes. One example (but there are many other ones) is that of the Mediterranean diet, where a collection of ample epidemiological evidence (2) coupled with literally hundreds of biochemical studies elucidating the cellular actions of selected components such as olive oil (3) or legumes (4), and at least one large clinical trial, i.e., the PREDIMED (5), built the basis for its election as one of the healthiest diets worldwide.
In this issue of Frontiers in Nutrition, we compiled 22 articles spanning the whole area of human nutrition, from, e.g., restricted time feeding to the metabolic differences between refined and whole grains. Low-grade, chronic inflammation plays an important role in the development or prevention of degenerative diseases such as atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and cancer (6). The diet inflammatory index is one way to estimate the link between the pro- or anti-inflammatory potential of the food we eat and the health outcomes associated with it. Future investigations should, indeed, take this and other parameters into account in addition to the mere calorie intake and/or macronutrient profiles.
Thanks to the progresses made by food technology, modern diets are—on average—more nutritious and affordable than the ancient ones. One issue that is gaining traction is that of the so-called ultra-processed foods (7). Even though this notion is highly debated because of the complete lack of biological plausibility (8), data are accumulating that show how (based on current classifications) high consumption of this food category might be associated with poorer prognosis in various areas, including the psychiatric one. This is certainly an issue worth exploring more in depth, leaving ideology aside.
In summary, this Research Topic of Frontiers in Nutrition contributes to increasing our knowledge of how dietary choices affect our health and will help shape informed public health policies. In the future, the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and appropriate analysis of big data will further improve our dietary profiles, leading to personalized nutrition based on an individual's genetic background (9). We envision a strong acceleration of nutrigenomics, nutrigenetics, and epigenetics to implement solid guidelines in the developed and developing worlds.
Publisher's Note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Statements
Author contributions
FV and FS wrote the article. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
References
1.
LichtensteinHAppelLJVadivelooMHuFBKris-EthertonPMRebholzCMet al. 2021 dietary guidance to improve cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American heart association. Circulation. (2021) 144:e472–7. 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001031
2.
DinuMPagliaiGCasiniASofiF. Mediterranean diet and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies and randomised trials. Eur J Clin Nutr. (2018) 72:30–43. 10.1038/ejcn.2017.58
3.
VisioliFFrancoMToledoELuchsingerJWillettWCHuFBet al. Olive oil and prevention of chronic diseases: summary of an international conference. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. (2018) 28:649–56. 10.1016/j.numecd.2018.04.004
4.
HerforthAArimondMAlvarez-SanchezCCoatesJChristiansonKMuehlhoffE. A global review of food-based dietary guidelines. Adv Nutr. (2019) 10:590–605. 10.1093/advances/nmy130
5.
EstruchRRosESalas-SalvadoJCovasMICorellaDArosFet al. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts. N Engl J Med. (2018) 378:e34. 10.1056/NEJMoa1800389
6.
CalderPCBoscoNBourdet-SicardRCapuronLDelzenneNDoreJet al. Health relevance of the modification of low grade inflammation in ageing (inflammageing) and the role of nutrition. Ageing Res Rev. (2017) 40:95–119. 10.1016/j.arr.2017.09.001
7.
Martinez-PerezCSan-CristobalRGuallar-CastillonPMartinez-GonzalezMASalas-SalvadoJCorellaDet al. Use of different food classification systems to assess the association between ultra-processed food consumption and cardiometabolic health in an elderly population with metabolic syndrome (PREDIMED-plus cohort). Nutrients. (2021) 13:2471. 10.3390/nu13072471
8.
GibneyMJFordeCGMullallyDGibneyRE. Ultra-processed foods in human health: a critical appraisal. Am J Clin Nutr. (2017) 106:717–24. 10.3945/ajcn.117.160440
9.
JinnetteRNaritaAManningBMcNaughtonSAMathersJCLivingstoneMK. Does personalized nutrition advice improve dietary intake in healthy adults? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Adv Nutr. (2021) 12:657–69. 10.1093/advances/nmaa144
Summary
Keywords
diet, obesity, Mediterranean diet, inflammation, personalized nutrition
Citation
Visioli F and Sofi F (2022) Editorial: Analyzing the Relationship Between Dietary Patterns, Health Outcomes, and Individual Food Choices. Front. Nutr. 9:840554. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.840554
Received
21 December 2021
Accepted
07 January 2022
Published
01 February 2022
Volume
9 - 2022
Edited and reviewed by
Mauro Serafini, University of Teramo, Italy
Updates
Copyright
© 2022 Visioli and Sofi.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Francesco Visioli francesco.visioli@unipd.it
This article was submitted to Nutritional Epidemiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Nutrition
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.