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Nutrients
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Nutrition Guidelines for Adolescent Growth and Development
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Nutrition Guidelines for Adolescent Growth and Development

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 18539

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Danuta Gajewska

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Dietetics, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS), 159C Nowoursynowska Str, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: child and adolescent nutrition; nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding; health promotion and dietary counseling
Dr. Romana Roccaldo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Food and Nutrition, 00178 Rome, Italy
Interests: children and adolescents nutrition; Mediterranean diet; food habits; lifestyle; education
Dr. Joanna Myszkowska-Ryciak

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Dietetics, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska St. 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: nutrition and health promotion; food insecurity; infant and child nutrition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Adequate nutrition is one of the most important factors influencing human growth and development, not only impacting well-being, health and cognitive functions, but also having profound consequences on an individual’s health later in life. Eating habits are mainly determined by a family as a whole. However, during the adolescent years, besides parental modeling, many additional factors strongly influence nutrition, including personal factors, peer behavior, obesogenic environments and socioeconomic inequality. Adolescence is a nutrition-sensitive phase of growth, during which both undernutrition and excessive body mass affect the linear growth, maturation, body composition and overall health. However, guidelines specifically focusing on this age group are limited, and mostly related to obesity management. There is a lack in studies on nutritional problems related to energy and a macronutrient excess, as well as micronutrient deficiencies, with consequences to the adult height, muscle mass, fat mass and the increased risk of developing noncommunicable diseases later in life.

In this Special Issue, we highlight nutritional recommendations for this sensitive population group based on scientific data. We cordially invite original papers, short communications, as well as reviews within the topic of “Nutrition Guidelines for Adolescent Growth and Development” to be submitted to the Special Issue.

Dr. Danuta Gajewska
Dr. Romana Roccaldo
Dr. Joanna Myszkowska-Ryciak
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • adolescents
  • nutritional guidelines
  • body composition
  • growth spurt and puberty
  • snacking
  • food choices
  • eating habits
  • skipping meals
  • dieting and alternative eating
  • healthy diet
  • important minerals
  • macronutrients distribution range
  • undernutrition
  • overweight
  • obesity

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 365 KiB  
Article
Low Self-Perceived Cooking Skills Are Linked to Greater Ultra-Processed Food Consumption Among Adolescents: The EHDLA Study
by Carlos Hermosa-Bosano and José Francisco López-Gil
Nutrients 2025, 17(7), 1168; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17071168 - 28 Mar 2025
Viewed by 291
Abstract
Introduction: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are widely consumed despite their established associations with obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and other metabolic disorders. One potential factor contributing to high UPF consumption is the decline in cooking skills, particularly among younger generations. This study aimed to describe the [...] Read more.
Introduction: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are widely consumed despite their established associations with obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and other metabolic disorders. One potential factor contributing to high UPF consumption is the decline in cooking skills, particularly among younger generations. This study aimed to describe the cooking skill perceptions of a sample of Spanish adolescents to examine the relationship between perceived cooking skills and UPF consumption, and to identify the specific UPF subcategories most associated with perceived cooking skills. Methods: This study is a secondary cross-sectional analysis using data from the Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities (EHDLA) study, which was conducted among 847 Spanish adolescents (12–17 years) from three secondary schools in Valle de Ricote (Region of Murcia, Spain). The participants’ perceptions of their cooking skills were assessed through the following question: “How would you rate your cooking skills?”. The response options included (a) very adequate, (b) adequate, (c) inadequate, and (d) very inadequate. UPF consumption was evaluated via a self-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) previously validated for the Spanish population. UPFs were classified according to the NOVA system, which distinguishes four groups: (1) unprocessed or minimally processed foods; (2) processed culinary ingredients, such as salt, sugar, and oils, used to enhance the preparation of fresh foods; (3) processed foods; and (4) UPF and drink products. To examine the associations between perceived cooking skills and UPF consumption, marginal means and 95% confidence intervals for servings of individual UPF groups were calculated via generalized linear models. These models were adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep duration, and body mass index to control for potential confounders. Post hoc comparisons between cooking skill categories were conducted via false discovery rate correction following the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Most participants (47%) rated their cooking skills as adequate (47%) or very adequate (18%). Overall UPF intake showed a decreasing trend across skill levels, with the “very adequate” group consuming significantly fewer servings than the “very inadequate” group did (p = 0.015). Among the specific UPF categories, adolescents in the “very adequate” category consumed significantly fewer sweets than those in the “very inadequate” and “inadequate” categories did (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: This study revealed evidence of a relationship between cooking skills and overall UPF intake. These results support the importance of interventions that promote cooking competencies among adolescents. School-based culinary programs and community initiatives that teach adolescents simple, time-efficient, and cost-effective cooking techniques could help reduce the overall intake of UPFs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition Guidelines for Adolescent Growth and Development)
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13 pages, 304 KiB  
Article
Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Home Nutrition Environment among Low-Income Minority Households with Elementary-Aged Children
by Brittni Naylor Metoyer, Ru-Jye Chuang, MinJae Lee, Christine Markham, Eric L. Brown, Maha Almohamad, Jayna M. Dave and Shreela V. Sharma
Nutrients 2023, 15(8), 1819; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15081819 - 10 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3328
Abstract
Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences were shown to have an influence on child fruit and vegetable intake. This study examined the associations between parent and child fruit and vegetable intake and the home nutrition environment among Hispanic/Latino and African American families. Through a cross-sectional [...] Read more.
Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences were shown to have an influence on child fruit and vegetable intake. This study examined the associations between parent and child fruit and vegetable intake and the home nutrition environment among Hispanic/Latino and African American families. Through a cross-sectional study design, self-reported surveys (n = 6074) were obtained from adult–child dyad participants enrolled in Brighter Bites, an evidence-based health promotion program, in the fall of 2018. For every once/day increase in frequency of parent FV intake, there was an increase in child FV intake by 0.701 times/day (CI: 0.650, 0.751, p < 0.001) and 0.916 times/day (CI: 0.762, 1.07; p < 0.001) among Hispanic/Latinos and African Americans, respectively. In Hispanic/Latino participants, significant positive associations were found between fruits as well as vegetables served at mealtimes ≥3 times/week (p < 0.001), family mealtimes 7 times/week (p = 0.018), parent–child communication about healthy eating and nutrition at least sometimes during the past 6 months (p < 0.05), and frequency of child FV intake, after adjusting for covariates. In African American participants, a significant positive association was found in fruits served at mealtimes ≥1 times/week (p < 0.05), and vegetables served at mealtimes ≥5 times/week (p < 0.05). Meals cooked from scratch a few times a day/all the time were significantly positively associated with frequency of child FV intake for both Hispanic/Latino (p = 0.017) and African American (p = 0.007) groups. The relationship between home nutrition environment and child FV intake varied by race and ethnicity. Future programs should consider designing culturally tailored interventions to address racial/ethnic-specific influences that match the child’s race, culture, and ethnicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition Guidelines for Adolescent Growth and Development)

Review

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24 pages, 386 KiB  
Review
Optimal Protein Intake in Healthy Children and Adolescents: Evaluating Current Evidence
by Maria Garcia-Iborra, Esther Castanys-Munoz, Elena Oliveros and Maria Ramirez
Nutrients 2023, 15(7), 1683; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15071683 - 30 Mar 2023
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 10464
Abstract
High protein intake might elicit beneficial or detrimental effects, depending on life stages and populations. While high protein intake in elder individuals can promote beneficial health effects, elevated protein intakes in infancy are discouraged, since they have been associated with obesity risks later [...] Read more.
High protein intake might elicit beneficial or detrimental effects, depending on life stages and populations. While high protein intake in elder individuals can promote beneficial health effects, elevated protein intakes in infancy are discouraged, since they have been associated with obesity risks later in life. However, in children and adolescents (4–18 years), there is a scarcity of data assessing the effects of high protein intake later in life, despite protein intake being usually two- to three-fold higher than the recommendations in developed countries. This narrative review aimed to revise the available evidence on the long-term effects of protein intake in children and adolescents aged 4–18 years. Additionally, it discusses emerging techniques to assess protein metabolism in children, which suggest a need to reevaluate current recommendations. While the optimal range is yet to be firmly established, available evidence suggests a link between high protein intake and increased Body Mass Index (BMI), which might be driven by an increase in Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI), as opposed to Fat Mass Index (FMI). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition Guidelines for Adolescent Growth and Development)

Other

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14 pages, 1696 KiB  
Study Protocol
Effect of the Nutritional Intervention Program on Body Weight and Selected Cardiometabolic Factors in Children and Adolescents with Excess Body Weight and Dyslipidemia: Study Protocol and Baseline Data
by Beata Bondyra-Wiśniewska and Anna Harton
Nutrients 2023, 15(16), 3646; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15163646 - 19 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1911
Abstract
Excess body weight and associated dyslipidemia in children and adolescents are the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in young adults. There is a reasonable need to develop an effective lifestyle modification program that includes various dietary therapies. A low-glycemic index (GI) diet [...] Read more.
Excess body weight and associated dyslipidemia in children and adolescents are the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in young adults. There is a reasonable need to develop an effective lifestyle modification program that includes various dietary therapies. A low-glycemic index (GI) diet may be recommended in the treatment of obesity. Its use is also recognized as reasonable in cardiovascular diseases, including dyslipidemia. The aim of the presented nutritional intervention program was to evaluate the effectiveness of an energy-balanced diet based on the principal recommendation on Cardiovascular Health Integrated Lifestyle Diet-2 (CHILD-2) and low-GI products (LGI diet) in children and adolescents with excess body weight and dyslipidemia. The study involved 64 children and adolescents (44 boys and 20 girls) aged 8–16 with overweight or obesity and dyslipidemia. For 8 weeks, the participants followed a dietary treatment using two types of diets: one based on products with a low GI, and one standard therapy diet. During this time, they participated in three visits with a dietitian, during which the assessment of their current and habitual food intake was made, and anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were taken. Patients were under the care of a pediatrician who qualified them for the study and ordered lipid profile tests. This article presents the design, protocol of the nutritional intervention program, and baseline data. The collected results will be used to develop practical nutritional recommendations for children and adolescents with excess body weight and dyslipidemia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition Guidelines for Adolescent Growth and Development)
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