Dietary Bioactives and Their Metabolites in Chronic Disease: A Metabolomics-Based Perspective

Chronic non-communicable diseases are characterized by complex and multifactorial pathophysiology involving metabolic dysregulation, low-grade inflammation, oxidative stress, and substantial interindividual variability in disease progression and response to dietary interventions. Dietary bioactives have emerged as key players with the potential to modulate these processes; however, their biological effects are highly dependent on bioavailability, metabolism, gut microbiota transformation, and host-specific factors. Traditional nutrition research based on intake estimates alone is insufficient to capture this complexity and to explain heterogeneous responses observed across individuals and populations. Recent advances in metabolomics have transformed our ability to characterize exposure, metabolism, and biological activity of dietary bioactives (e.g., polyphenols) and their derived metabolites. Targeted and untargeted metabolomics approaches now enable the identification of circulating, tissue-specific, and microbiota-derived phenolic metabolites that act as key mediators of diet-host interactions. In parallel, integrative multi-omics strategies and systems nutrition frameworks are providing new opportunities to link dietary patterns, metabolite profiles, and clinical phenotypes, paving the way toward more precise and mechanistically informed nutritional interventions.This Research Topic intends to promote a metabolomics-driven framework to advance understanding of the role of dietary bioactives and their metabolites in chronic disease prevention and management. It seeks to bridge mechanistic insights with translational and clinical research by integrating metabolic profiling, gut microbiota interactions, redox and inflammatory pathways, and interindividual variability. This Research Topic advances a metabolomics perspective in which dietary bioactives are studied through their derived metabolites (circulating, tissue-relevant, and microbiota-generated), positioning these metabolites as actionable mediators and biomarkers of diet–host interactions. By fostering contributions that combine robust analytical methodologies with biological and clinical relevance, this Topic intends to move beyond descriptive associations toward causal and actionable knowledge. Specifically, this Research Topic encourages multidisciplinary contributions that leverage metabolomics to (i) elucidate the metabolic fate and bioactivity of dietary compounds such as polyphenols, glucosinolates, carotenoids and terpenes, (ii) identify metabolite-based biomarkers of exposure and response, and (iii) support precision nutrition strategies tailored to individual metabolic and microbial phenotypes. In addition, it aims to highlight methodological advances, standardization efforts, and best practices in metabolomics applied to nutrition research, facilitating reproducibility and cross-study comparability.This Research Topic seeks to provide an integrated and forward-looking perspective on how metabolomics can inform the design, evaluation, and personalization of dietary strategies based on (poly)phenols, contributing to improved prevention and management of chronic diseases.Suggested Topics Include (but are not limited to):• Metabolomics of dietary bioactives: absorption, phase II metabolism, and microbiota-derived metabolites• Targeted and untargeted LC–MS workflows for phenolic metabolite profiling• Polyphenol-derived metabolites as biomarkers of exposure, compliance, and biological response• Gut microbiota-bioactive interactions and metabolic phenotypes (metabotypes)• Redox, inflammatory, and metabolic pathways modulated by bioactive-derived metabolites• Precision nutrition approaches informed by metabolomics and interindividual variability• Integration of metabolomics with microbiome and other omics data in nutrition research • Methodological challenges, standardization, and data integration in nutrition metabolomics Topic editors: María García Nicolás, María Ángeles Ávila-Gálvez, Vanesa Núñez-Gómez Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78983/dietary-bioactives-and-their-metabolites-in-chronic-disease-a-metabolomics-based-perspective