Varre Joseph Vinod, Dustin Mia, Van Vliet Stephan
Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States.
Front Nutr. 2025 Aug 18;12:1623556. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1623556. eCollection 2025.
Dietary acculturation-the process by which migrants adopt the dietary patterns of their host country-has become increasingly relevant given the unprecedented scale of international migration. This phenomenon is often associated with a shift from traditional diets toward host-country patterns that are higher in ultra processed foods, added sugars, and fats, with potential implications for chronic disease risk.
This mini-review aims to synthesize global evidence on the dietary transformations experienced by migrant populations and to assess the health implications and modulating factors influencing these changes.
A targeted literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles published between January 2000 and April 2024, using keywords related to dietary acculturation, migration, and health outcomes. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 30 studies directly addressing dietary change and health outcomes post-migration were included. Key themes were identified through iterative synthesis.
Evidence indicates a consistent trend of dietary acculturation across diverse migrant groups, typically involving increased consumption of energy-dense, processed foods (a 15-20% increase) and decreased intake of traditional staples such as whole grains (down by 10-15%), pulses, and fresh vegetables. These dietary shifts are associated with a heightened risk of obesity (increasing by 5-10%), type 2 diabetes (7-12% rise), and cardiovascular diseases. Factors such as length of residence (1-5 years), age at migration (20-30 years), socioeconomic status (bottom 20%), food environment (availability dropping by 30%), and health literacy significantly modulate these changes. Emerging evidence also points to changes in gut microbiota as a consequence of dietary transformation.
Dietary acculturation among migrant populations is a multifaceted process that increases the risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases. There is a critical need for culturally sensitive public health interventions and policies that support the preservation of healthy traditional diets while facilitating healthy adaptation to new food environments. Addressing research gaps-such as longitudinal data and the experiences of underrepresented migrant groups-will strengthen strategies to mitigate adverse health outcomes.
鉴于国际移民规模空前，饮食文化适应——即移民采用其所在国饮食模式的过程——已变得愈发重要。这种现象通常与从传统饮食向所在国饮食模式转变有关，后者中超加工食品、添加糖和脂肪含量更高，这可能对慢性病风险产生影响。
本小型综述旨在综合全球关于移民群体饮食转变的证据，并评估这些变化对健康的影响以及影响这些变化的调节因素。
在PubMed、Scopus和Web of Science中进行了有针对性的文献检索，以查找2000年1月至2024年4月期间发表的文章，使用与饮食文化适应、移民和健康结果相关的关键词。在应用纳入和排除标准后，纳入了30项直接探讨移民后饮食变化和健康结果的研究。通过迭代综合确定关键主题。
证据表明，不同移民群体中饮食文化适应存在一致趋势，通常表现为高能量加工食品的消费增加（增加15%-20%），而全谷物等传统主食的摄入量减少（减少10%-15%），豆类和新鲜蔬菜的摄入量也减少。这些饮食转变与肥胖风险增加（增加5%-10%）、2型糖尿病（上升7%-12%）和心血管疾病风险增加有关。居住时间（1-5年）、移民年龄（20-30岁）、社会经济地位（最低20%）、食物环境（可获得性下降30%）和健康素养等因素会显著调节这些变化。新出现的证据还表明，饮食转变会导致肠道微生物群发生变化。
移民群体中的饮食文化适应是一个多方面的过程，会增加与营养相关的慢性病风险。迫切需要制定具有文化敏感性的公共卫生干预措施和政策，以支持保留健康的传统饮食，同时促进对新食物环境的健康适应。填补研究空白，如纵向数据以及代表性不足的移民群体的经历，将加强减轻不良健康结果的策略。
