Challenges, advances and future directions in nutritional epidemiology

Nutritional epidemiology is an interdisciplinary field that uses epidemiological methods to study diet-disease relationships in humans at the population level. It provides essential evidence to inform dietary guidelines, guide nutritional policies, and ultimately enhance human well-being. Over the years, nutritional epidemiology has achieved landmark contributions, including establishing the preventive role of folic acid in neural tube defects and revealing the harmful effects of trans fatty acids and sugar-sweetened beverages. Yet, the field faces persistent methodological and translational challenges, particularly in dietary assessment, dietary intervention implementation, and causal inference for complex diet-disease relationships. Recent technological advances are, however, catalyzing progress in exposure assessments and mechanistic insights. Simultaneously, emerging paradigms such as precision nutrition and sustainable nutrition are further expanding its scope. This review offers an integrated summary of these prevailing challenges, advancements, and emerging directions in nutritional epidemiology to shape future research efforts.