MINI REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Ecology and Anthropology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1623556
This article is part of the Research TopicDietary Transformations and Health Implications Among Migrant PopulationsView all articles
Dietary Transformations and Health Implications in Migrant Populations: A Global Perspective
Provisionally accepted
- Utah State University, Logan, United States
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Dietary acculturation—the process by which migrants adopt the dietary patterns of their host country—is increasingly relevant amid rising global migration. This transition is commonly marked by a shift from traditional diets toward host-country patterns higher in processed foods, sugars, and fats, elevating chronic disease risk. This mini-review synthesizes recent global evidence on dietary changes among migrant populations, the associated health impacts, and key modulating factors. We conducted a targeted literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies published between 2000 and 2024, using keywords related to dietary acculturation, migration, and health. After screening ~200 articles, 30 studies directly addressing post-migration dietary changes and health outcomes were included. Key themes were identified through iterative synthesis. Evidence shows a consistent trend across diverse migrant groups: increased consumption of energy-dense, processed foods (15–20% increase) and decreased intake of traditional staples such as whole grains (down by 10–15%) and fresh vegetables. These dietary shifts are linked to higher risks of obesity (5–10% increase), type 2 diabetes (7–12% rise), and cardiovascular disease. Modulating factors include length of residence, age at migration, socioeconomic status, food environment, and health literacy. Emerging research also highlights changes in gut microbiota. In conclusion, dietary acculturation is a complex process that raises nutrition-related chronic disease risk in migrants. There is a critical need for culturally sensitive public health interventions and policies supporting healthy dietary adaptation, and for further research focusing on underrepresented groups and long-term outcomes.
Keywords: dietary acculturation, Migration, Nutrition transition, Migrant health, Chronic disease risk, Food Environment, socioeconomic determinants, Gut Microbiota
Received: 06 May 2025; Accepted: 30 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 VARRE, DUSTIN and VLIET. 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) or licensor 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: STEPHAN VAN VLIET, Utah State University, Logan, United States
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