Food Classification
Guiding Principles for Science-Based Food Classification Systems Focused on Processing and Formulation
Advances in Nutrition, 2026
Supported by IAFNS Working Group on Food Classification
IAFNS Event
2026 Food Classification Research Roundtable: Processing, Formulation and Nutrition
March 11-12, 2026
This event will provide attendees with an updated view of the scientific landscape related to food processing, formulation and the intersection with nutrition. To support broad engagement, remote attendance options are available.
GLP-1s
Weight Regain After Cessation of Medication for Weight Management: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
British Medical Journal, 2026
To quantify and compare the rate of weight regain after cessation of weight management medications (WMMs) in adults with overweight or obesity. Trial registries and databases were searched from inception until February 2025 for randomised controlled trials, non-randomised trials, and observational studies.
Lipids
Reflections on How Wheat Flour Lipids Impact the Viscoelastic Properties of Gluten Proteins
British Medical Journal, 2026
Endogenous wheat flour lipids are known to play an important role in baked product quality, even though they constitute a minor fraction of wheat flour composition. They interact with gluten proteins throughout the different stages of dough processing and therefore contribute to specific quality traits in baked products.
Cognitive Health
A Recipe for Resilience: A Systematic Review of Diet and Adolescent Mental Health
Nutrients, 2026 Supported by IAFNS Cognitive Health Committee
Adolescence is a critical period of vulnerability for the onset of mental health difficulties, presenting an urgent need for scalable prevention strategies. Diet is a universal, modifiable factor, yet its evidence base remains inconsistent. This systematic review synthesised evidence from controlled trials and prospective cohort studies
Dietary Patterns
Intake of Food Additive Preservatives and Incidence of Cancer: Results from the NutriNet-Sante' Prospective Cohort
British Medical Journal, 2026
To investigate the association between intake of food additive preservatives and cancer incidence in a large prospective cohort. Epidemiology based on health effect biomarkers and experimental research are needed to gain insight into outcome pathways.
Protein
A Collaborative Study to Validate in vitro Assays for Protein Digestibility Assessment using pH-drop and pH-stat Methods
Journal of Food Composition & Analysis, 2026 Supported by IAFNS Protein Committee
The diversification of protein sources used in food formulation has increased the need to assess protein quality beyond traditional food forms. Protein digestibility is a key component of the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS), the regulatory metric derived from rodent bioassays.
Dietary Patterns
Integration of Modern Technologies to Advance Dietary Assessment
Nature Food, 2026
Diet is a key determinant of human and planetary health, but accurately measuring dietary intake remains challenging. Traditional self-reporting tools are imprecise, compromising our ability to accurately link diets with health outcomes. Modern technologies, including smartphone apps, image-based methods and biomarkers of food intake, offer promise but bring their own caveats.
Carbohydrates
Intergenotypic Prediction of Reducing Sugars in Intact Potatoes using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate
Food Control, 2026
Potatoes are among the most widely consumed foods worldwide and are used in various culinary preparations. Their production has increased in recent decades, prompting the potato industry to place greater emphasis on quality control measures. In this context, reducing sugars stand out as being directly linked to the formation of acrylamide, a recognized carcinogen.
Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners
Reconciling Conflicting Evidence on Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners and Cardiometabolic Outcomes: An Umbrella Review Using Naïve and Bias-Adjusted Methods
Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism, 2026
Inconsistency among evidence syntheses has led to opposing guidelines and public confusion regarding low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) in noncommunicable diseases. To understand the role of different analytical approaches in assessing LNCS and cardiometabolic outcomes, we conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Gut Health
Advances in Dietary Modulation of the Intestinal Barrier: Mechanistic, Structural, and Functional Insights
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science & Food Safety, 2026
The intestinal barrier maintains host health through the coordinated integration of mechanical, chemical, immune, and microbial defenses across intestinal segments. Dietary factors are key regulators of barrier integrity, yet the mechanisms by which nutrients act during digestion, absorption, and microbial metabolism from the small intestine to the colon remain incompletely understood
IAFNS Event
Prebiotic Fiber Specificity for Predictable Microbiome Modulation
Feb. 6, 2026
In this webinar, experts will present recent insights on prebiotic fiber specificity for predictable microbiota modulation, and how future standardization of fiber characteristics can facilitate targeted research to better inform consumer health.
Sodium
Changes in Dietary Sodium Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours among Canadian Adults in 2011 and 2024: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2026
Excess sodium intake is a leading modifiable risk for non-communicable diseases. Despite some national sodium-reduction initiatives, no population-level updates to sodium-related Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours (KAB) have been available since 2011. The study compares sodium-related KAB among Canadian adults in 2011 and 2024 and examine differences by sex and age, hypothesizing limited changes due to insufficient national sodium reduction initiatives.
IAFNS Event
Gut Feeling: Toward Development of an AI Tool for Precision Dietary Carbohydrate Recommendations
March 19, 2026
This webinar will provide evidence for individual response to carbohydrates and describe the effort to develop an Artifical Intelligence tool for more precise prediction of this response.
Emerging Areas
Emerging Area: Nutrition and Maximizing Physical Performance
Carbohydrate Ingestion on Exercise Metabolism and Physical Performance
Endocrine Reviews, 2026
Carbohydrate (CHO) ingestion during exercise has long been associated with improved performance. Early Scandinavian research proposed that CHO ingestion mitigates exercise-induced hypoglycemia (EIH) through a central neural mechanism, preventing glycopenic brain damage.