Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Food Function and Relationships Between Diet and Disease

Food function and the relationships between diet and disease describe how the composition and biological activity of foods influence physiological processes and modulate the risk, prevention, and progression of disease. This field extends nutrition beyond the supply of energy and essential nutrients to the functiona…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 6 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 24× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2379-7835 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Food function and the relationships between diet and disease describe how the composition and biological activity of foods influence physiological processes and modulate the risk, prevention, and progression of disease. This field extends nutrition beyond the supply of energy and essential nutrients to the functional roles of dietary components—including antioxidants, dietary fibre, fatty acids, and bioactive phytochemicals—in regulating metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, and cellular ageing. Whole dietary patterns are a central unit of analysis: traditional patterns such as the Mediterranean diet, with their cultural and culinary context, are studied for associations with cardiovascular and metabolic health, while excessive intakes, exemplified by high salt consumption, are linked to elevated disease risk. Specific foods and their constituents are examined for measurable physiological effects, such as the influence of mushroom supplementation on postprandial lipemia and glycemia following a meal. The relationship between nutrition and ageing is investigated at the molecular level, including the role of dietary antioxidants in oxidative telomere attrition. Diet also intersects with social and psychological dimensions of health, from the effect of employment and economic circumstances on nutritional status to disordered eating behaviours such as orthorexia nervosa. Understanding these relationships informs dietary guidance, the prevention and management of chronic disease, and the development of foods designed for specific health functions.

Research published in this journal

6 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

2019

Culture and Mediterranean Diet

López M.T IglesiasCorresponding author
Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Faculty of Health Sciences, Spain
International Journal of Nutrition Cited by 12 doi:10.14302/issn.2379-7835.ijn-18-2272

How this research is being cited

The 6 articles above have been cited 24 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Food Function and Relationships Between Diet and Disease, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in International Journal of Nutrition (ISSN 2379-7835).

Journal editorial board
Kadri Koppel · United States Alicja Kuban-Jankowska · Poland Luigia Pazzagli · Italy

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.