Aims & Scope
The International Journal of Nutrition publishes rigorous, peer-reviewed research across the full spectrum of human nutrition, from molecular mechanisms to population health and policy. The journal welcomes work that advances understanding of how foods, nutrients, dietary patterns, and food systems influence health outcomes across diverse populations and settings worldwide.
Nutritional Mechanisms
Metabolic Pathways
Diet-Health Interactions
Molecular Nutrition
Population Studies
Scope Boundary: We do not consider food science studies focused solely on processing technology or agricultural studies without direct nutritional relevance. Clinical case reports must provide systematic analysis and clear, generalizable nutritional insights to be considered.
Core Research Domains
Nutritional Biochemistry & Metabolism
- Macronutrient and micronutrient metabolism
- Metabolic pathway regulation by dietary components
- Nutrient-gene interactions and epigenetic modifications
- Cellular signaling pathways in nutritional responses
- Mitochondrial function and energy metabolism
- Oxidative stress and antioxidant mechanisms
Typical Fit:
Studies examining how omega-3 fatty acids influence inflammatory pathways and cardiometabolic risk, using cellular, animal, and/or human intervention data with clearly defined nutritional exposures and health outcomes.
Diet-Disease Relationships
- Cardiovascular disease and dietary patterns
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus and glycemic control
- Obesity pathophysiology and weight management
- Cancer prevention through nutritional interventions
- Neurodegenerative diseases and neuroprotective nutrients
- Inflammatory diseases and immunonutrition
Typical Fit:
Prospective cohort studies investigating Mediterranean diet adherence and incident cardiovascular events, with or without biomarker and mechanistic sub-studies, provided dietary assessment and outcome measurement are robust.
Nutritional Physiology & Regulation
- Appetite regulation and satiety mechanisms
- Gut-brain axis and nutritional signaling
- Hormonal regulation of nutrient metabolism
- Circadian rhythms and chrononutrition
- Exercise-nutrition interactions
- Developmental programming and early-life nutrition
Typical Fit:
Randomized controlled trials examining time-restricted feeding effects on metabolic hormones, insulin sensitivity, and circadian clock gene expression in humans.
Microbiome & Gut Health
- Gut microbiota composition and dietary modulation
- Prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics
- Microbial metabolites and host metabolism
- Intestinal barrier function and permeability
- Microbiome-immune system interactions
- Dysbiosis in metabolic and inflammatory diseases
Typical Fit:
Interventional studies characterizing how dietary fiber types alter gut microbiome composition and short-chain fatty acid production, with metabolomic profiling.
Secondary Focus Areas (equally welcomed when nutrition is central)
Personalized & Precision Nutrition
- Nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics
- Metabolomics and precision dietary interventions
- Individual variability in nutritional responses
- Biomarker-guided nutritional recommendations
Public Health Nutrition
- Population-level dietary assessment methods
- Nutritional epidemiology and surveillance
- Food policy and nutrition interventions
- Health disparities and nutritional equity
- Implementation and evaluation of nutrition programs in diverse settings
Nutritional Immunology
- Immune function and micronutrient status
- Dietary modulation of inflammatory responses
- Nutrition in infectious disease outcomes
- Immunometabolism and nutrient sensing
Behavioral Nutrition
- Eating behaviors and psychological factors
- Nutrition and mental health outcomes
- Dietary adherence and behavior change
- Food environment and choice architecture
- Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches to nutrition behavior
Methodological Innovations
- Novel dietary assessment technologies
- Biomarker discovery and validation
- Computational modeling in nutrition
- Multi-omics integration approaches
Life Course Nutrition
- Maternal and infant nutrition
- Pregnancy and lactation-related nutrition
- Pediatric and adolescent nutrition
- Nutrition in aging, menopause, and sarcopenia
- Intergenerational nutritional effects
Emerging Research Frontiers
Explicitly Out of Scope
Food Science & Technology
Studies focused primarily on food processing, preservation, packaging, or sensory evaluation without direct nutritional or health outcome assessment. Redirect to food science journals.
Agricultural Production
Crop breeding, agricultural practices, or animal husbandry studies without explicit measurement of nutritional composition or bioavailability in human/animal nutrition contexts.
Clinical Case Reports
Individual case reports or small case series without mechanistic investigation, systematic analysis, or generalizable nutritional insights. Consider clinical nutrition journals instead.
Pharmaceutical Interventions
Studies of synthetic drugs, supplements at pharmacological doses, or medical treatments where nutrition is not the primary intervention or mechanistic focus.
Pure Opinion Pieces
Commentary or opinion articles without substantial data, systematic review methodology, or evidence-based analysis. Perspectives must be data-driven and mechanistically grounded.
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
Priority 1
Rigorous Review
Original Research Articles
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Methodological Papers
Randomized Controlled Trials
Prospective Cohort Studies
Priority 2
Standard Review
Short Communications
Data Notes
Narrative Reviews
Cross-Sectional Studies
Perspectives (Data-Driven), evaluated with the same standards of scientific rigor and relevance.
Rarely Considered
By Invitation
Case Reports (considered when they provide clear, generalizable nutritional insights)
Opinion Pieces (by invitation only)
Letters to Editor (focused on substantive scientific discussion of articles published in the journal)
Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
- CONSORT for randomized controlled trials
- STROBE for observational studies
- PRISMA for systematic reviews
- ARRIVE for animal research
- COREQ for qualitative research
Data & Transparency
- Raw data deposition in public repositories encouraged
- Statistical analysis code sharing recommended
- Clinical trial registration required (ICMJE standards)
- Conflict of interest disclosure mandatory
- Funding source transparency required
Ethical Requirements
- IRB/Ethics committee approval for human studies
- Informed consent documentation
- IACUC approval for animal research
- Adherence to Declaration of Helsinki
- Data privacy and GDPR compliance
Preprint & Prior Publication
- Preprints on recognized servers accepted
- Conference abstracts do not preclude submission
- Duplicate publication prohibited
- Overlapping datasets require disclosure
- Translations of previously published work considered case-by-case
Editorial Process & Open Access Model
The International Journal of Nutrition follows a rigorous peer-review process and publishes articles under an open access model. Editorial decisions and publication timelines may vary by article type and complexity. Details of current processing times and publication charges are provided on the journal's information pages and may be updated periodically.
Ready to Submit Your Research?
Contact the Editor-in-Chief to discuss the suitability of your manuscript before submission. We provide pre-submission inquiries to help authors determine fit and avoid unnecessary review cycles.
Submit Manuscript
