Editorial for the First Issue of Food as Medicine

Editorial

Editorial for the First Issue of Food as Medicine

Ren-You Gan ^1,2

¹ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

² Research Institute for Future Food, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Correspondence: renyou.gan@polyu.edu.hk or ganrenyou@163.com

On behalf of the editorial team, I am delighted to introduce the inaugural issue of Food as Medicine, a gold open-access journal committed to advancing knowledge in the intersection of food and health via exploring the critical roles of food in health management and disease prevention. Our mission for launching this journal is driven by the growing recognition of food not just as sustenance, but as a transformative tool for health. Increasing evidence supports the roles of specific nutrients, bioactive compounds, foods, formulas, recipes, and dietary patterns in mitigating chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and certain cancers. Moreover, we place a special emphasis on the concept of “whole food”, like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, spices, fermented and germinated foods, and medicine and food homology plants, as well as their accessibility, affordability, effectiveness, sustainability, and equity within food systems. Therefore, this journal aims to establish a leading platform for disseminating rigorous scientific research in this vital field. By addressing the multifaceted interactions between food and health, we expect that the preventive and therapeutic potential of food can be integrated into everyday life and medical practice.

Food as Medicine publishes original research, reviews, commentaries, and perspectives, that focus on, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• The discovery and characterization of functional food ingredients
• The health benefits of whole foods and food functional ingredients
• Interactions between food and the gut microbiome
• Accessibility and sustainability of food sources
• Influence of traditional food practices
• Innovative food technologies that enhance health functions
• Functional product development

In February 2025, I extended invitations to distinguished scientists to join our editorial board, and I am profoundly grateful for their enthusiastic support. As we anticipate the growth of our editorial board to meet emerging challenges, it is my privilege to introduce our current editorial board members, including Prof. Atanas G. Atanasov, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland; Prof. Qichang Yang, Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China; Prof. Lorenzo Pastrana, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Portugal; Dr. Antonios E. Koutelidakis, University of the Aegean, Greece; Dr. Ali Rashidinejad, Massey University, New Zealand; Prof. Mutamed Ayyash, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates; Dr. Kin Weng Kong, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia; Dr. Mohd Khalid Gul, National Institute of Technology, India; Prof. Hong Gao, Sichuan University, China; Dr. Changyu Zhou, Ningbo University, China; Dr. Srinivas Janaswamy, South Dakota State University, USA; Prof. Amjad Iqbal, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Pakistan; Prof. Xin Wu, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.

In summary, I am confident that with the combined efforts of our authors, editorial board members, reviewers, the Scilight Press team, and our global community, Food as Medicine will lead the way in scientific research. We eagerly anticipate your contributions to enhancing the understanding and integration of food as a fundamental component of healthcare.

Conflict of Interest

The author declared no conflict of interest.