[ Manuscript Submission Deadline 12 December 2025 ]
Background
Today, chronic diseases cause significant morbidity and claim millions of lives globally. These include diseases (CVD), cancer, obesity, diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM), metabolic syndrome, and stroke. Almost 18 million people die of CVD worldwide annually, while cancer and obesity claim 10 million and 4.7 million respectively. These figures highlight the profound societal and healthcare burden of chronic illness.
Systemic inflammation plays a central role in the onset and progression of these conditions. Although therapeutic advances have been made, treatments often show variable effectiveness, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms. Lipids, long recognized as structural and energy-storing molecules, are now known to actively regulate inflammation and immune responses. Studying their diverse roles, ranging from signaling to metabolic regulators, can uncover novel pathways in chronic disease and inform the development of more precise, personalized interventions. Nutritional strategies offer a powerful avenue for prevention and therapy.
The goal of this Research Topic is multidimensional. There is a clear and urgent need to understand better which mechanisms are related to the onset and progression of chronic diseases and how different lipids play a role in the onset, progression and amelioration of these diseases. Previous research on this topic has shown that specific lipid nutrients can play a pivotal role in inhibiting inflammation and therefore the development of chronic diseases. Therefore, we are interested in research investigating dietary or exogenous lipids or other nutrients affecting lipid metabolism or pathways that may have a positive impact on reducing inflammation. In doing so, this Research Topic addresses major gaps in our academic and medical knowledge, which may inform new research avenues.
With this Research Topic, the scope is to publish original research papers, review articles, opinion articles and commentaries on the role of nutrients in systemic inflammation. The studies could be in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo. The revisiting of large-scale human trials would be useful in our search on the impact of specific diets on inflammation. These studies could focus on specific nutrients or different diets around the world, e.g. the impact of the Mediterranean diet on inflammation. The role of lipid mediators including prostaglandins, resolvins, or platelet-activating factors in chronic diseases is also welcome.