TITLE:
Environmental Pollutants, Dietary Factors, and Child-Adolescent Chronic Diseases: An Epidemiological Review
AUTHORS:
Ruiqi Huo
KEYWORDS:
Environmental Pollutants, Dietary Factors, Child and Adolescent Health, Chronic Diseases, Epidemiological Review
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.6,
June
30,
2026
ABSTRACT: The rising prevalence of chronic diseases among children and adolescents, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes, has become a pressing global public health challenge. Accumulating epidemiological evidence suggests that these trends cannot be attributed solely to genetic susceptibility or individual lifestyle behaviors; rather, they are increasingly linked to concurrent exposures to environmental pollutants and shifts in dietary patterns. This review synthesizes current epidemiological findings on the independent and interactive effects of environmental chemical exposures and dietary factors on child and adolescent chronic metabolic disorders. We focus on common pollutants (e.g., heavy metals, phthalates, bisphenols, and ambient air particulates), dietary patterns (from Western-style high-fat/high-sugar diets to protective dietary approaches), and their potential synergistic or antagonistic interactions. Key epidemiological study designs and exposure assessment methodologies are critically evaluated. Furthermore, we discuss population-based prevention strategies, school-based health promotion programs, and policy implications. Finally, major knowledge gaps and propose future research priorities are identified, including the need for large-scale prospective cohort studies, improved exposure-omics integration, and mechanistic investigations of pollutant-diet interactions in pediatric populations.