Background/Objectives: Prebiotics, which are non-digestible compounds that selectively modulate gut microbiota, are recognized for their potential to promote host health. Although their bifidogenic effect is well documented, a systematic synthesis of how this microbial modulation translates into clinical gastrointestinal (GI) and metabolic outcomes across diverse populations is needed. This review aims to integrate mechanistic insights with clinical evidence to elucidate the pathway from prebiotic structures to tangible health benefits. Methods: This comprehensive narrative review details the structural properties of major prebiotics (e.g., inulin, FOS, and GOS) that govern their fermentation and the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). To evaluate clinical efficacy, an analysis of 22 randomized controlled trials from the past decade was conducted, focusing on human studies that utilized ISAPP-recognized prebiotics as the sole intervention. Results: The analysis confirms that prebiotic supplementation consistently increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) and SCFA production. These changes are associated with significant clinical improvements, including enhanced stool frequency and consistency, strengthened intestinal barrier function, and modulated immune responses. Benefits have been documented in healthy individuals, children, the elderly, and those with conditions such as constipation, metabolic syndrome, and antibiotic-associated dysbiosis. However, significant inter-individual variability in response was evident, and the study designs showed notable heterogeneity in prebiotic type, dosage, and duration. Conclusions: Prebiotics are effective modulators of gut health, driving clinical benefits through selective microbial fermentation and SCFA production. The documented heterogeneity and variability highlight the need for future research to focus on personalized nutritional strategies. Key priorities include standardizing intervention protocols, elucidating dose–response relationships, integrating multi-omics data to link taxonomy to function, and exploring novel applications such as synbiotic formulations and gut–brain axis modulation.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the validity of the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) used in the RPS Birth Cohort Consortium (Ribeirão Preto, Pelotas, and São Luís) to assess dietary intake of adolescents from São Luís, Maranhão. The research was developed with 152 adolescents aged 18 and 19 years. For the validation of the FFQ, the average of three 24-hour recalls (24HRs) was used as the reference method. The mean and standard deviation of energy and nutrient intake extracted from the surveys were estimated. The paired Student's t-test was used to verify the differences between the instruments. Pearson correlation coefficient, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), weighted Kappa, and the Bland-Altman plot were calculated in order to measure the agreement. The study adopted a level of significance <5%. Compared with the three 24HRs, the FFQ overestimated the consumption of most nutrients. Energy-adjusted and de-attenuated concordance Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from 0.06 to 0.43, and correlations were significant for iron, calcium, riboflavin, sodium, saturated fat, niacin, and vitamin C. The energy-adjusted and de-attenuated ICCs ranged from 0.01 to 0.31, and the weighted Kappa ranged from 0.01 to 0.46. The analyses of agreement were significant for vitamin C, fiber, calcium, riboflavin, niacin, sodium, lipids, and iron. In conclusion, the FFQ presented acceptable relative validity for lipids, saturated fatty acids, fiber, calcium, iron, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, and sodium. This instrument will be useful in studies about food consumption of adolescents in São Luís, Maranhão.

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption may be associated with a reduction in bone mineral density (BMD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the consumption of SSB and BMD among young people. We performed a cross-sectional study that evaluated 6620 young people (18–23 years of age) from three Brazilian birth cohorts (Ribeirão Preto, Pelotas, and São Luís). We analyzed the daily frequency and the amount and energy contribution of the SSB, which were obtained through a food frequency questionnaire. Total body and lumbar spine BMD (g/cm²), measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, were the outcomes. Unadjusted linear regression models, adjusted for sex, socioeconomic class, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index were used. The highest tertile of SSB consumption frequency (2.1–16.7 times/day) was associated with a lower lumbar spine BMD (β = −0.009; 95% CI: −0.017; −0.001; standardized β = −0.03). This association persisted after adjustment for confounders (β = −0.008; 95% CI: −0.016; −0.001; standardized β = −0.03). No association was observed between SSB consumption frequency and total body BMD or between the amount and energy contribution of SSB and total body or lumbar spine BMD. A high frequency of SSB consumption was associated with a low lumbar spine BMD.

O objetivo foi identificar os padrões alimentares em crianças e verificar a sua associação com características maternas. Foram estudadas 1.185 crianças de 13 a 35 meses de idade. O consumo alimentar foi investigado por meio do recordatório alimentar de 24 horas e os padrões alimentares identificados pela análise fatorial por componentes principais, seguida de rotação ortogonal varimax. Utilizou-se a modelagem hierarquizada por meio da regressão de Poisson com estimativa robusta da variância para calcular as razões de prevalências. Quatro padrões alimentares foram identificados: comum brasileiro, lácteo/mingau, saudável e não saudável. A variância explicada por esses fatores foi de 34,3%, sendo que o padrão comum brasileiro foi o que mais contribuiu com a variância proporcional. Destaca-se o padrão lácteo/mingau, em que o leite materno apresentou carga fatorial negativa, apontando para a sua substituição pelos leites de vaca e modificados. Os dados revelam que a caracterização dos padrões alimentares das crianças diverge segundo as características maternas, como a idade, escolaridade e número de filhos. Três dos quatro padrões encontrados são representados por alimentos ricos em amido, gordura saturada e açúcar simples, e pobres em vitaminas, minerais e fibras. Multiparidade, menor escolaridade materna e idade materna menor que 20 anos foram associadas ao menor consumo de alimentos considerados saudáveis e importantes para o desenvolvimento infantil.

Resumo: O objetivo do trabalho foi comparar biomarcadores em grupos de adolescentes classificados simultaneamente pelo índice de massa corporal (IMC) e percentual de gordura corporal, mensurados por meio da pletismografia por deslocamento de ar. Estudo transversal com 533 adolescentes de 18 e 19 anos de São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil. O IMC foi classificado em adequado (< 25kg/m2) e excesso de peso (≥ 25kg/m2). Definiu-se percentual de gordura corporal elevado ≥ 25% para o sexo masculino e ≥ o feminino. Os adolescentes foram classificados em quatro grupos: “eutrófico” (IMC e percentual de gordura corporal adequados), “obeso de peso normal” (IMC adequado com percentual de gordura corporal elevado), “excesso de peso com percentual de gordura corporal adequado” e “excesso de peso com percentual de gordura corporal elevado”. As meninas registraram maiores valores de “obesidade de peso normal” (15,6%) e “excesso de peso com percentual de gordura corporal elevado” (17,1%). Os adolescentes “obesos de peso normal” apesentaram maiores médias para colesterol total (172,5mg/dL) e LDL-colesterol (103,5mg/dL). Aqueles com “excesso de peso e percentual de gordura corporal elevado” registraram a menor média para HDL-colesterol (43,2mg/dL) em relação aos outros grupos; maior média para interleucina-6 (2,7pg/mL) em relação aos “eutróficos” e “excesso de peso e percentual de gordura corporal adequado”; e maiores medianas para triglicerídeos (114,0mg/dL) e proteína C reativa (0,14ng/mL) em relação aos “eutróficos” e “obesos de peso normal”. Os com “excesso de peso e percentual de gordura corporal adequado” apresentaram proteína C reativa igual aos com “excesso de peso e percentual de gordura corporal elevado”. A avaliação do estado nutricional pelo IMC é limitada, pois 6,8% dos adolescentes registraram percentual de gordura corporal elevado apesar do IMC normal, além disto, os “obesos de peso normal” apresentaram dois biomarcadores piores que os adolescentes com “excesso de peso e percentual de gordura corporal elevado”.

OBJECTIVE: To determine neck circumference (NC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) cut-off points as predictors of obesity and cardiovascular risk in adolescents. METHODS: Cross-sectional study developed with a subsample of 648 adolescents aged 18 and 19 years belonging to the third phase of the “RPS” cohort (Ribeirão Preto, Pelotas and São Luís) carried out in 2016. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was identified to assess the predictive capacity of NC and WHtR in relation to the percentage of body fat (%BF), obtained by air displacement plethysmography (ADP), and the cardiovascular risk estimated by the Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth (PDAY). RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity by %BF was 7.6% in males and 39.4% in females (p-value <0.001), and the high PDAY risk was 13.8% and 10.9%, respectively. For males, NC cut-off point was 44.0 cm and the AUCs were 0.70 (95%CI 0.58-0.83) to predict obesity and 0.71 (95%CI 0.62-0.80) to predict high cardiovascular risk; for females, NC cut-off point was 40 cm and the AUCs were 0.75 (95%CI 0.69-0.80) and 0.63 (95%CI 0.53-0.73), respectively. WHtR cut-off point was 0.50 for both sexes; for males, the AUCs to predict obesity and high risk according to PDAY were 0.90 (95%CI 0.80-0.99) and 0.73 (95%CI 0.63-0.82), respectively; for females, they were 0.87 (95%CI 0.83-0.90) and 0.55 (95%CI 0.45-0.65), respectively. CONCLUSION: WHtR and NC are good discriminators to assess obesity and cardiovascular risk in adolescents, especially in males.