SynthesisNutrients2021
Associations of Dietary Intake on Biological Markers of Inflammation in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07309536 (Mediterranean Diet Uptake and Nutrition on Child Health, Inflammation, and Early-life Symbiosis), which is not on this map. Cited by 68 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Mediterranean Diet Uptake and Nutrition on Child Health, Inflammation, and Early-life Symbiosis (MUNCHIES): A Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 117 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dietary Patterns Associated With Anti-inflammatory Effects: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses.Nutrition reviews · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Universal Subconstructs of a Healthy Diet for Children and Adolescents: A Critical Review.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2025Pooled it
- Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Health Outcomes in Adolescents: An Umbrella Review.Nutrition reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Neurobiological insights into the effects of ultra-processed food on lipid metabolism and associated mental health conditions: a scoping review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- The Effects of Sumac Consumption on Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Factors: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.Current pharmaceutical design · 2024Pooled it
- Comprehensive Intervention to Promote Healthy Lifestyles and Prevent Cardiometabolic Diseases in Low-Income School Children From Mexico: Protocol for the ESCOLARISANO Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Trial
- The effect of Mediterranean diet on inflammatory biomarkers and components of metabolic syndrome in adolescent girls.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2023Trial
- Predictors of carotenoid status in New Zealand children using carotenoid reflection score: a cross-sectional study.Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition · 2026Article
- Pro-Inflammatory Dietary Profiles Are Associated with Psychosocial Functioning in Spanish Adolescents: Findings from the EHDLA Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Article
- Clustering of Unhealthy Diets, Inflammation Levels, and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Dietary Inflammatory Potential and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in School-Aged Adolescents.Pediatric obesity · 2026Article
- Healthcare provider perceptions of a pediatric fruit and vegetable prescription program: a qualitative study.BMC nutrition · 2026Article
- Metal exposures and their interactions with the dietary inflammatory index on inflammatory biomarkers in Mexican adolescents.Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2026Article
- Establishment of age-specific reference intervals for peripheral blood SII, NLR, PLR, and LMR in healthy children.BMC immunology · 2026Article
- Observational
- Stress-induced IL-6 regulation in pediatric bone growth disorders: current insights and therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- The kynurenine pathway in depression and schizophrenia: convergent signals, divergent states, and clinical signatures.EXCLI journal · 2026Review
- Condition the water before adding the fish: a hypothesis on probiotic selection without prior gut assessment.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn children and adolescents, chronic low-grade inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of co- and multi-morbid conditions to mental health disorders. Diet quality is a potential mechanism of action that can exacerbate or ameliorate low-grade inflammation; however, the exact way dietary intake can regulate the immune response in children and adolescents is still to be fully understood.
methodsStudies that measured dietary intake (patterns of diet, indices, food groups, nutrients) and any inflammatory biomarkers in children and adolescents aged 2 to19 years and published until November 2020 were included in this systematic review, and were selected in line with PRISMA guidelines through the following databases: Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Global Health, Medline COMPLETE and Web of Science-Core Collection. A total of 53 articles were identified.
resultsResults show that adequate adherence to healthful dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet, or food groups such as vegetables and fruit, or macro/micro nutrients such as fibre or vitamin C and E, are associated with decreased levels of pro-inflammatory biomarkers, mainly c-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), whereas adherence to a Western dietary pattern, as well as intake of food groups such as added sugars, macro-nutrients such as saturated fatty acids or ultra-processed foods, is associated with higher levels of the same pro-inflammatory biomarkers.
conclusionsThis is the first systematic review examining dietary intake and biological markers of inflammation in both children and adolescents. A good quality diet, high in vegetable and fruit intake, wholegrains, fibre and healthy fats ameliorates low-grade inflammation, and therefore represents a promising therapeutic approach, as well as an important element for disease prevention in both children and adolescents.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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 Socratic graph.