Themed collection Food & Function Review Articles 2026

The dietary preferences of patients with neurological disorders interact with the brain through different pathways of the gut-brain axis.

Cranberry is rich in nutritional components and numerous bioactive compounds with properties useful in a variety of physiological and clinical conditions.

Polyphenols and gut-derived metabolites modulate SCFAs, indoles, TMA, and neuroactive pathways, thereby shaping gut-brain communication in postmenopausal women facing hormonal decline, inflammation, metabolic changes, and polypharmacy.

Dietary polyphenols protect human intestinal barrier function via multiple pathways. Via diverse natural sources: from berry flavonoids to seaweed phlorotannins.

Current randomized clinical trials do not support statistically or clinically robust evidence of health benefits from oleuropein or olive leaf extract supplementation.

Probiotics exert health benefits through multifaceted interactions with the host, and accumulating evidence indicates that many of these effects are mediated by defined cell envelope-derived molecules rather than live bacteria per se.

Inflammatory factors during pregnancy can harm both the mother and the fetus by activating host cell pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). A balanced anti-inflammatory diet may help prevent and mitigate these complications.

This review systematically summarizes the preparation strategies, structural characterization techniques, and biological activities of selenium-enriched peptides.

Unhealthy diets induce gut dysbiosis in overweight individuals, whereas probiotics ameliorate metabolic disorders via microbiota modulation, metabolic regulation, and stress alleviation, yet population heterogeneity leads to varied efficacy.

The role of the olive-derived polyphenols oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol in blood lipid regulation and vascular health.

Vitamin C supplementation significantly reduces systolic blood pressure (−4.14 mmHg) with modest diastolic reduction, particularly benefiting patients on antihypertensive medication.

Polysaccharides derived from the mycelium of edible fungi (MEF) are structurally diverse and biologically active macromolecules garnering extensive attention in functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and biomaterials.

PCOS is characterized by oxidative stress, inflammation, and insulin resistance, which are key therapeutic targets of flavonoids.

Genetic variants in fatty acid metabolism genes modify how individuals respond to omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. This systematic review of 132 studies provides evidence for precision nutrition approaches tailored to individual genetic profiles.

This review highlights the bidirectional roles of key trace elements in modulating intestinal immunity, epithelial integrity, microbial ecology, and their emerging nanomaterial-based therapeutic potential.

Millet-based rice analogues provide a nutritious, low-GI alternative to polished rice. Optimized extrusion conditions enhance protein and iron content, improve cooking quality, and enable scalable production for sustainable diets.

Dihydromyricetin shows multi-target potential in diabetes and its major complications by improving glucose and lipid metabolism, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, providing neuroprotection, and modulating multiple molecular pathways.

Dietary bioactive compounds can ameliorate excessive lipid deposition by regulating the multi-targeted autophagy and its signaling network.

The consumption of soft drinks, such as carbonated or non-carbonated beverages, including sugars or artificial sweeteners, flavorings, colorings, acidulants, and preservatives, has recently emerged as a major global public health problem.

Jabuticaba intake reduced weight gain, inflammation, oxidative stress, hepatic steatosis, and improved insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, and gut health through modulation of the intestinal barrier and microbiota.

Given the potential of polyphenols to mitigate neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), this meta-analysis investigated whether clinical evidence supports the use of polyphenols for neuroprotection and as nutritional strategies in NDDs.

The figure highlights major red raspberry ellagitannins, their extraction/analysis, microbial conversion to urolithins, multi-target health effects (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, metabolic regulation), and applications across industries.

This review reports on personalised nutrition randomised controlled trials using one of the following approaches: (1) phenotype based approaches (2) genotype based personalisation and (3) machine learning algorithms. Image produced with napkin-AI.

Multifactorial gut microbiota heterogeneity necessitates precision intervention. Multidimensional data enables biomarker discovery. Predictive modeling + optimized delivery drive precision probiotics.

Daily lycopene intake (5–30 mg) from tomatoes consistently reduces blood pressure with high certainty. Despite variability by cultivar and processing, daily lycopene requirements can generally be met by consuming at least one typical tomato.

Damage to the intestinal barrier is a common pathological feature of several diseases, and phenolic acids can repair its damage through multiple mechanisms.

Heyndrickxia coagulans, a spore-forming probiotic, has garnered significant attention due to its exceptional tolerance to gastric acid and heat, alongside its multifaceted therapeutic potential.

Obesity-related dyslipidemia and hypertension are the key drivers of global cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.

Meta-analysis of studies to explore the association and causal relationship between antioxidant vitamins and mental disorders by assessing the differences in dietary intake and blood levels of antioxidant vitamins.