Linking nutrition, gut integrity, and systemic health in environmental enteropathy and beyond

The interplay between nutrition and intestinal health forms a critical focus in global health, especially in populations exposed to suboptimal sanitation, recurrent infections, and food insecurity. Environmental enteropathy (EE) epitomizes this intersection, presenting a challenge defined by chronic intestinal inflammation, barrier dysfunction, and impaired nutrient absorption. Current research has primarily concentrated on defining biomarkers of EE and associating them with long-term consequences, such as impaired growth and neurodevelopment in children. However, the immediate or intermediate functional effects of EE, such as changes in metabolism, immune response, and systemic physiology, remain poorly understood. Furthermore, similar mechanisms of intestinal inflammation and barrier dysfunction have been observed in other environmentally mediated or nutrition-driven gut disorders, suggesting that EE may represent one aspect of a broader gut health continuum shaped by diet, microbiome, and environmental exposures.This Research Topic aims to advance the understanding of how nutrition, gut integrity, and systemic health interact in EE and related intestinal dysfunctions. It encourages exploration of both short- and long-term consequences of impaired gut function, including how nutritional supplementation or targeted interventions can restore physiological balance and enhance health outcomes. Emphasizing vulnerable groups, such as infants, children, and pregnant or lactating women. This Topic also invites innovative studies that elucidate underlying mechanisms, test novel interventions, and integrate EE research within wider frameworks of gut health, immunity, and metabolic regulation. Ultimately, the goal is to inform strategies for prevention and management that address EE not only as a disease entity but as part of an integrated response to malnutrition and environmental stressors.This Research Topic will consider studies ranging from mechanistic investigations to community-level interventions. Submissions may include both human and animal studies, across clinical, nutritional, and environmental domains. To gather further insights into the dynamics between nutrition, gut function, and health, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Nutritional and environmental determinants of intestinal dysfunction, including EE and related enteropathies• The relationship between EE and morbidity, including infectious, metabolic, and immune-related conditions• Functional consequences of EE on immune modulation, neurodevelopment, and metabolic flexibility• Mechanistic pathways linking gut barrier dysfunction to systemic inflammation and chronic disease risk• Evaluation of nutrition-based interventions aiming at gut recovery, including micronutrient and macronutrient supplementation• Adoption of novel biomarkers and diagnostic methods for EE and associated disorders• Cross-disciplinary approaches integrating microbiome, metabolomics, and host response analyses• Implications of EE and gut dysfunction for maternal and child health, including pregnancy outcomes and lactation challenges Topic editors: Nirupama Shivakumar, Gwenyth O Lee, Ellen Besa Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/69319/linking-nutrition-gut-integrity-and-systemic-health-in-environmental-enteropathy-and-beyond