Circular Nutrition in Population Health: Food By-products, Polyphenols, and Cardiometabolic Outcomes

Circular nutrition is increasingly drawing attention as the utilisation of food by-products and upcycled ingredients gains momentum in both research and real-world practice. Traditional models of dietary assessment and food composition are being challenged by the introduction of complex matrices, such as structurally diverse, non-extractable polyphenols found in fruit, vegetable, and cereal by-products. While laboratory and clinical evidence suggest promising cardiometabolic benefits from these compounds, especially regarding insulin resistance, liver health, and inflammation, large-scale, population-level evaluations remain scarce. Significant progress in food analysis and processing stability has broadened access to these ingredients, but translating compositional knowledge into reliable exposure measurements and linking them to hard clinical endpoints is a major frontier for nutritional epidemiology.This Research Topic aims to consolidate and advance population-based evidence on the relationship between by-product-derived polyphenols, dietary fibre, and cardiometabolic health. By integrating state-of-the-art analytical methods, harmonised food composition reporting, and innovative biomarker approaches, this initiative seeks to refine exposure assessment and disease outcome associations in diverse populations. It encourages contributions that bridge the biological complexity of non-extractable polyphenols and the gut microbiome with scalable epidemiologic applications, ultimately informing how circular nutrition can equitably and sustainably improve public health outcomes. Specific objectives include addressing methodological challenges, quantifying long-term health impacts, and identifying implementation and policy avenues that support the integration of upcycled ingredients into community diets.The range of this Research Topic is defined by its emphasis on population health, focusing on studies that combine circular nutrition exposures, specifically by-products and upcycled food constituents, with cardiometabolic endpoints through robust epidemiological designs. Interventions, cohort analyses, and methodological advances should directly relate to public health nutrition and sustainable dietary patterns, while mechanistic studies must demonstrate relevance to epidemiologic outcomes. To gather further insights in circular nutrition and cardiometabolic population health, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Conceptual and causal frameworks for circular nutrition in epidemiologyo Polyphenol profiling and harmonised food composition for by-product-rich foodso Bioavailability, gut microbiome interactions, and fibre-polyphenol matriceso Cohort and pragmatic trial results on by-product intake and cardiometabolic outcomeso Biomarkers and digital tools for scalable field measurement in nutrition studieso Implementation science: sensory acceptability, safety, labelling, equity, and policy impacts Topic editors: Diana M Amaya Cruz, Yasna Muñoz Carvajal Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82396/circular-nutrition-in-population-health-food-by-products-polyphenols-and-cardiometabolic-outcomes