The Complex Role of Diet in the Heart-Brain Axis

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “The Complex Role of Diet in the Heart–Brain Axis”, should shed light on the role of various nutrition aspects, from nutrients to a priori or a posteriori dietary patterns, in cardiometabolic health and the heart–brain axis.

The connection between the heart and brain (central nervous system) has been known for centuries. Furthermore, the diet, including functional foods and beverages, nutraceuticals, and adherence to different dietary patterns, has shown a significant influence on both the cardiovascular and nervous systems. This relationship is traditionally seen as the effects of cardiovascular disease on the nervous system and the effects imposed on that nervous system (illness, stress) at the onset of cardiovascular disease. When considering food intake in this approach, the bidirectional relationship between the heart, brain, and food cannot be ignored.

It is evident that cardiometabolic and some neurological disorders share common mechanisms that involve inflammation and oxidative stress. Furthermore, the implementation of adequate nutritional interventions should be considered a first-line treatment for individuals living with these health issues and potentially be able to reverse these complications. These interventions should not only be limited to dietary patterns and specific diets, but rather to the potential use of functional foods and some nutraceuticals.       

In conclusion, this Special Issue should review all aspects concerning effective nutrition-related plans in this field, as well as the underlying mechanisms behind them, in order to ameliorate the primary prevention strategies of psycho-cardio-metabolic issues. In this Special Issue, we welcome papers that report original research studies in addition to narrative and systematic literature reviews, including meta-analyses. We will also consider well-structured protocols for clinical trials that may or may not include some of the preliminary findings as well as communications.

Dr. Nenad Naumovski
Dr. Matina Kouvari
Guest Editors

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