Infant and Child Nutrition, Physical Activity, Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Signaling

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Background

Growing children have different metabolic and physiological characteristics from adults, and they require specific nutritional considerations. Physical performance during childhood requires a careful dietary balance of essential nutrients. The period of human development during childhood is the time of life where biological changes are more intense and therefore it is also the period of maximum vulnerability for the growing infants. Physical activity and nutrition in childhood are related to an improvement in cognitive processes and it is useful to combat diseases with a high level of mortality, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and musculoskeletal pathologies. In addition, the developing muscle and adipose tissue release several cytokines with a key role in human development which should also be studied during this period.

Inflammation is a physiological response to stress. Initially, it has a protective homeostatic function, however, if the process is chronic, it becomes pathophysiological. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are harmful metabolic products that cause cytotoxicity, tissue damage, and cell dysfunction. Although these negative effects are normally counteracted by a large number of antioxidant substances, the imbalance between ROS production and antioxidant defenses is defined as oxidative stress, constituting a common pathogenic mechanism to numerous human diseases. Physical activity and nutrition are natural modifiers of oxidative stress. There is a paradox between increased oxidative stress produced by acute exercise and the beneficial effects that regular exercise has on health and sports performance. The physiological adaptation of the antioxidant defenses of the organism (influenced by the diet) is partially responsible for this paradox. Adequate nutrition in childhood can be a strategy to palliate these negative effects.

Researching the links between diet, exercise, inflammatory stress, oxidative and growth factors during childhood is important to understand how they contribute to optimal growth and development, deeply influencing health in later life. The aim of this Research Topic is to:
(i) capture the science related to dietary habits and physical activity during childhood.
(ii) identify the consequences of oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling in childhood.
(iii) study the muscle and adipose endocrine and paracrine function cytokines during this growing period.
(iv) present potential approaches to improve lifestyle and dietary patterns during this critical development period and its health impact in later life.

We welcome Original Research as well as Opinion/Perspective and Review articles on Physical Activity, Nutrition, Metabolism, Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Signaling during childhood.

Keywords: Nutrition, Metabolism, Physical Activity, Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Signaling, Public Health Nutrition

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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