The prevalence of overweight, obesity, and their related complications is increasing worldwide. The purpose of this umbrella review was to summarize and critically evaluate the effects of different diets on anthropometric parameters and cardiometabolic risk factors. Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science, from inception to April 2019, were used as data sources to select meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials that examined the effects of different diets on anthropometric parameters and cardiometabolic risk factors. Strength and validity of the evidence were assessed through a set of predefined criteria. Eighty articles reporting 495 unique meta-analyses were examined, covering a wide range of popular diets: low-carbohydrate (n = 21 articles), high-protein (n = 8), low-fat (n = 9), paleolithic (n = 2), low-glycemic-index/load (n = 12), intermittent energy restriction (n = 6), Mediterranean (n = 11), Nordic (n = 2), vegetarian (n = 9), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) (n = 6), and portfolio dietary pattern (n = 1). Great variability in terms of definition of the intervention and control diets was observed. The methodological quality of most articles (n = 65; 81%), evaluated using the "A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews-2" questionnaire, was low or critically low. The strength of evidence was generally weak. The most consistent evidence was reported for the Mediterranean diet, with suggestive evidence of an improvement in weight, BMI, total cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure. Suggestive evidence of an improvement in weight and blood pressure was also reported for the DASH diet. Low-carbohydrate, high-protein, low-fat, and low-glycemic-index/load diets showed suggestive and/or weak evidence of a reduction in weight and BMI, but contrasting evidence for lipid, glycemic, and blood pressure parameters, suggesting potential risks of unfavorable effects. Evidence for paleolithic, intermittent energy restriction, Nordic, vegetarian, and portfolio dietary patterns was graded as weak. Among all the diets evaluated, the Mediterranean diet had the strongest and most consistent evidence of a beneficial effect on both anthropometric parameters and cardiometabolic risk factors. This review protocol was registered at www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ as CRD42019126103.

Background/Objectives: With the increasing life expectancy and, as a result, the aging of the global population, there has been a rise in the prevalence of chronic conditions, which can significantly impact individuals’ health-related quality of life, a multidimensional concept that comprises an individual’s physical, mental, and social wellbeing. While a balanced, nutrient-dense diet, such as Mediterranean diet, is widely recognized for its role in chronic disease prevention, particularly in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers, its potential benefits extend beyond these well-known effects, showing promise in improving physical and mental wellbeing, and promoting health-related quality of life. Methods: A systematic search of the scientific literature in electronic databases (Pubmed/Medline) was performed to identify potentially eligible studies reporting on the relation between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and health-related quality of life, published up to December 2024. Results: A total of 28 studies were included in this systematic review, comprising 13 studies conducted among the general population and 15 studies involving various types of patients. Overall, most studies showed a significant association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and HRQoL, with the most significant results retrieved for physical domains of quality of life, suggesting that diet seems to play a relevant role in both the general population and people affected by chronic conditions with an inflammatory basis. Conclusions: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet provides significant benefits in preventing and managing various chronic diseases commonly associated with aging populations. Furthermore, it enhances the overall health and quality of life of aging individuals, ultimately supporting more effective and less invasive treatment approaches for chronic diseases.

NOVA is a classification that divides foods into four groups according to processing. Since no questionnaires have been validated to assess the consumption of foods with different levels of processing in the general adult population, we tested the reliability and validity of a 94-item Food Frequency Questionnaire (NFFQ) designed to estimate the intake (g/day) and the weight ratio (%) of the NOVA food groups in Italian adults. Time reliability and validity were tested by administrating the NFFQ to 110 subjects on two different occasions and comparing it with a weighed dietary record (WDR). Strong correlations between NFFQs (r > 0.7, p < 0.001) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of 0.851–0.940 indicated good test-retest reliability. Moderate correlations between the NFFQ and the WDR (0.6<r < 0.7), ICC of 0.536–0.741, and consistent agreement for intake percentages as revealed by Bland-Altman plots indicated moderate to good validity. The NFFQ could be useful for future investigations in this research field.

Data on the impact of the ketogenic diet (KD) on children’s growth remain controversial. Here, we retrospectively investigated the occurrence of linear growth retardation in 34 children (47% males; age range: 2−17 years) diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE; n = 14) or glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1-DS; n = 20) who had been treated with the KD for 12 months. The general characteristics of children with and without growth retardation were also compared. All participants received a full-calorie, traditional KD supplemented with vitamins, minerals, and citrate. Most children (80%; 11/14 in the DRE subgroup and 16/20 in the GLUT1-DS subgroup) treated with the KD did not show growth retardation at 12 months. Although participants with and without delay of growth did not differ in terms of baseline clinical characteristics, dietary prescriptions, or supplementation patterns, marked ketosis at 12 months tended to occur more frequently in the latter group. Altogether, our results indicate that growth retardation may occur in a minority of children treated with the KD. However, further research is required to identify children at risk and to clarify how increased ketones levels may affect endocrine pathways regulating growth during KD administration.

Many studies report poor adherence to sports nutrition guidelines, but there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of nutrition education and behavior change interventions in athletes. Some studies among athletes demonstrate that nutrition education (NE), often wrongly confused with nutritional counseling (NC), alone is insufficient to result in behavior change. For this reason, a clear distinction between NC and NE is of paramount importance, both in terms of definition and application. NE is considered a formal process to improve a client’s knowledge about food and physical activity. NC is a supportive process delivered by a qualified professional who guides the client(s) to set priorities, establish goals, and create individualized action plans to facilitate behavior change. NC and NE can be delivered both to individuals and groups. To our knowledge, the efficacy of NC provided to athletes has not been comprehensively reviewed. The aim of this study was to investigate the current evidence on the use and efficacy of nutritional counseling within athletes. A systematic literature review was performed based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method. The search was carried out in: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Cochrane Library between November 2022 and February 2023. Inclusion criteria: recreational and elite athletes; all ages; all genders; NC strategies. The risk of bias was assessed using the RoB 2.0 Cochrane tool. The quality of evidence checking was tested with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool system. From 2,438 records identified, 10 studies were included in this review, with athletes representing different levels of competition and type of sports. The most commonly applied behavior change theory was Cognitive Behavioral Theory. NC was delivered mainly by nutrition experts. The duration of the intervention ranged from 3 weeks to 5 years. Regarding the quality of the studies, the majority of articles reached more than 3 stars and lack of adequate randomization was the domain contributing to high risk of bias. NC interventions induced positive changes in nutrition knowledge and dietary intake consequently supporting individual performance. There is evidence of a positive behavioral impact when applying NC to athletes, with positive effects of NC also in athletes with eating disorders. Additional studies of sufficient rigor (i.e., randomized controlled trials) are needed to demonstrate the benefits of NC in athletes.Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022374502.