Background and scope

Dietary guidelines provide recommendations on foods, food groups and dietary patterns to achieve reference intakes of nutrients, prevent chronic diseases and maintain overall health in the general population. However, dietary recommendations are not sufficiently stratified across different categories such as age, gender, ethnicity, genetic predisposition to certain Food-related Health Conditions (FrHCs) such as but not limited to obesity and malnutrition) and Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases (NCDs) such as but not limited to diabetes and hypertension.

The role of diet in human health is increasingly being researched as a factor that could contribute to human health. The human diet can have a pro-inflammatory effect and can influence the immune system by different mechanisms including altering the glycome in a way to produce more pro-inflammatory antibodies. In addition, depending on the genetic predisposition of an individual, diet can play a role in the development of various FrHCs and NCDs. Also, diet has been shown to be associated with the dense and complex population of microorganisms that colonise the human gastrointestinal tract. Yet, despite current knowledge about the glycome, the susceptibility to different dietary regimes for FrHCs and NCDs requires additional interdisciplinary research, while nutrition, human gut microbiome and glycome research are still mostly compartmentalised.

Common dietary patterns, characterised by high sugar and red meat consumption, as well as overly processed food with a lot of additives, have been investigated as influential factors on human health, including through an increased risk of developing FrHCs and NCDs. The need to ensure the long-term sustainability of current food production amid concerns for global food security, reinforces the idea that additional food sources should be considered and human diet recommendations revised and adjusted to specific needs. A diet based on more plant-based food is certainly a very promising option which provides dietary fibres and a large array of phytochemicals.

This Challenge will only fund multi-disciplinary research proposals that include at least nutritional, microbiome and glycan research aspects. The research focus can be on one or more of the Challenge specific objectives. Proposals are expected to investigate the interactions among nutrition, human gut microbiome and glycans beyond the state-of-the-art, to better clarify the role of diet into human health, including for example the interactions of whole plant foods, highly processed food and fermented foods with the human gut microbiome and glycans.

Since the response of the human gut microbiota to diet is highly individual, we encourage the integration of observational studies, randomised controlled trials, and mechanistic studies in animal models with a machine learning approach that can be applied to a large number of participants and large data sets from already available studies.

Proposals are expected to consider regulatory aspects and to build on the work carried out so far by the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA).

Overall goal and specific objectives

The goal of this Challenge is to investigate and provide scientific evidence of the role of diet in FrHCs and NCDs.

The specific objectives of this Challenge are:

• Investigate causal relationships among diet, microbiome and glycans, with potential impact on personalising human diet.
• Identify food ingredients, food technology processes, additives and dietary patterns that have negative effects on human health and, aging.
• Identify food ingredients, food technology processes and additives that have a beneficial effect on human health, and aging.
• Develop recommendations for the reformulation of new food products and processes with no- or fewer additives.

Expected outcomes and impacts

Understanding and establishing relationships between diet and the pathology of Food-related Health Conditions and Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases would enable the prevention and alleviation of the consequences of FrHCs and NCDs on health and well-being through changes in diet. This is foreseen through the evidence-based upgrade of the current dietary guidelines. In the long run, it is expected that project results will be the basis for the development of novel foods and processes which might decrease the incidence of FrHCs and NCDs among the general population, and a better quality of life for the individuals affected by these conditions.

For more details, see the EIC Work Programme 2023.