Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39613942›Full record

ArticleCurrent nutrition reports2024

A Scoping Review of the Causal Pathways and Biological Mechanisms Linking Nutrition Exposures and Health Outcomes.

Priscila Machado, Sarah A McNaughton, Kate Wingrove, Lena D Stephens, Phillip Baker, Mark Lawrence

Abstract readScoping Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Current nutrition reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Research roadmap for ultra-processed foods in the context of the Australian food system.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Priscila MachadoInstitute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia. p.machado@deakin.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4607-5094
Sarah A McNaughtonInstitute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia.
Kate WingroveInstitute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia.
Lena D StephensInstitute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia.
Phillip BakerSydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2050, Australia.
Mark LawrenceInstitute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia.

Funding

Australian Research Council DP190101323Australian Research Council Future Fellowship FT220100690
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

aimBuilding on the evidence for multifaceted effects of different nutrients, foods and dietary patterns is a new priority for nutrition science. This review aims to describe the causal pathways and biological mechanisms that elucidate the associations between different nutrition exposures (nutrients, foods and dietary patterns) and health outcomes.

methodsA scoping review was conducted in two stages: 1) review of nutrition science textbooks; and 2) a review of reviews of empirical literature using a systematic approach to elucidate causal pathways and biological mechanisms for nutrition exposures and health outcomes. Reviews were eligible for inclusion if they reported biological mechanistic pathways between exposures and outcomes of interest among free-living healthy adults and/or children. Causal pathways within and between the exposures and the outcomes were identified and summarised visually.

resultsA total of seven core textbooks and 1,934 reviews of relevant empirical literature were included. The complexity of the causal pathways and the number of biological mechanisms progressively increases as the nutrition exposure changes from nutrients to foods to dietary patterns. The biological mechanisms demonstrate that associations with beneficial or adverse health outcomes are determined by the contrasting chemical composition and physical structure of the different types and forms of nutrition exposures, and that contextual factors (e.g., food processing) can influence these chemical and physical factors for food and dietary pattern exposures.

conclusionThis review provides models that can guide future research, and has several implications for the generation and interpretation of the nutrition evidence, and its synthesis and translation to inform nutrition guidelines and policies.

Indexed as

DietAdultChildFeeding BehaviorHumansNutrientsNutritional SciencesNutritional StatusNutrientsBiological mechanismsCausal pathwaysDietary patternsHealth outcomesNutrition exposuresNutrition science

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.