2026-10-06T08:25:04Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34048468 2026-10-01T17:33:45Z category_7 category_21 category_45 category_734 category_64 portal_87 item_type_3 month_year_10_2026

Health benefits and physiological actions of micronutrients, probiotics/prebiotics, phytochemicals, and their associated deficiency diseases: a systematic review of recent developments and applications Chinaza Godswill Awuchi (17838704) Ayomide Victor Atoki (20880691) Chinelo Kate Echeta (25157782) Medicine Biotechnology Sociology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Cancer Micronutrients probiotics nutritional deficiencies gut dysbiosis immune modulation synbiotic interventions precision nutrition Nutrition and Dietetics Clinical Nutrition Nutrition Food Chemistry Sports Nutrition Microbiology Food Microbiology <p>Micronutrients, probiotics/prebiotics, and phytochemicals influence physiological function, but benefits vary by baseline nutritional status, intervention, population, and outcome. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from primary research and high-quality reviews (2016–2026) on vitamins/minerals, probiotics/prebiotics, phytochemicals, and deficiency- or dysbiosis-related conditions. Following PRISMA 2020, searches covered PubMed/PMC, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, Taylor & Francis Online, MDPI, Frontiers, SAGE, Google Scholar, and WHO/FAO resources. Widespread micronutrient inadequacies were identified, particularly for iron, iodine, calcium, and vitamin E. Intervention evidence was strongest for correcting established deficiencies and selected strain- or outcome-specific probiotic applications. Evidence for extra-skeletal vitamin D effects, broad cardiometabolic prevention, phytochemical supplementation, and microbiome-mediated nutrient benefits was more heterogeneous and often observational or mechanistic rather than definitive clinical trials. Heterogeneity in populations, doses, formulations, comparators, outcomes, and designs precluded quantitative pooling; conclusions were therefore synthesized narratively according to evidence type and risk of bias. Evidence supports food-based dietary adequacy, targeted fortification/supplementation for demonstrated or high-risk deficiency, and cautious use of selected probiotics/prebiotics where strain- and outcome-specific evidence exists. Precision nutrition, biomarker-guided strategies, and microbiome-informed interventions remain insufficiently validated for population-wide implementation. More studies should prioritize adequately powered, long-term, preregistered trials with clinically meaningful outcomes and standardized reporting.</p> 2026-10-01T17:33:45Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.34048468.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Health_benefits_and_physiological_actions_of_micronutrients_probiotics_prebiotics_phytochemicals_and_their_associated_deficiency_diseases_a_systematic_review_of_recent_developments_and_applications/34048468 CC BY 4.0