Nutritional Strategies for Reducing Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation

Chronic low-grade inflammation is a state of persistent, systemic, and predominantly subclinical activation of the immune system characterized by modest elevations in circulating inflammatory mediators. Thus, it is recognized as a key pathogenic mechanism underlying numerous non-communicable diseases, particularly obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, alongside cardiovascular disease, inflammatory and bowel disease. Unlike acute inflammation responses, it rarely produces overt symptoms, yet it contributes progressively to disease development by disrupting immune balance and metabolic regulation. Diet is one of the most powerful and accessible modulators of these inflammatory pathways. Specific dietary patterns, functional foods, and specific nutrients can either fuel or dampen inflammatory signalling through effects on innate and adaptive immunity, the gut microbiota, and immunometabolic processes. As the global burden of diet-related chronic disease rises, elucidating the complex interactions between nutrition and inflammation has become central to nutritional immunology and to preventive, food-based approaches to human health. Despite growing interest, the field still lacks a clear, mechanistic, and translatable picture of how nutritional interventions reduce chronic low-grade inflammation in humans. Many findings come from observational data or isolated compounds tested in vitro, leaving a gap between promising signals and actionable dietary guidance. This Research Topic aims to close that gap by gathering rigorous, mechanistically grounded research that links specific foods, dietary ingredients, and natural products to measurable changes in immune and inflammatory outcomes. We seek to clarify how dietary patterns and bioactive compounds modulate inflammatory pathways, how the gut microbiota mediates these effects, and how immunometabolic mechanisms translate nutrition into immune regulation. We particularly encourage work that bridges disciplines, validates computational or public-data analyses, and moves toward personalized, food-based strategies for prevention. By assembling clinical, translational, and mechanistic studies, this collection will help define evidence-based nutritional strategies that can be applied across populations to lower the inflammatory burden of chronic disease and advance human health and well-being.This Research Topic welcomes original research, clinical trials, and contemporary reviews that focus on the impact of food, dietary ingredients, and natural products on chronic low-grade inflammation and immune function in humans. Submissions must provide empirical data that establishes the baseline chronic inflammatory state in the study population, and subsequently demonstrates a statistically significant, quantifiable reduction in inflammatory markers following the nutritional intervention. Manuscripts must show clear relevance to food and human nutrition. Themes of interest include:o Immunometabolic processes linking nutrition, inflammation, and metabolic healtho Anti-inflammatory dietary patterns (e.g., Mediterranean, plant-forward, fibre-rich diets) and their immune effectso Functional foods, medical foods, and nutritional supplements that modulate inflammatory pathwayso Dietary modulation of gut microbiota composition, function, and metabolism, with downstream immune effectso Mechanisms of bioactive compounds on innate and adaptive immune responseso Nutritional immunology applications in personalized and preventive medicine.We encourage interdisciplinary and translational submissions that advance SDGs 2, 3, and 12. Computational studies using public data (e.g., NHANES, Mendelian randomization) must include appropriate validation. Studies centered on pharmacology, neuroinflammation, animal nutrition, or purely bibliometric analyses fall outside scope. Topic editors: Maria Witt-Wallert, Peter Mancuso, Philip Calder Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82784/nutritional-strategies-for-reducing-chronic-low-grade-inflammation