Nutrition and Wound Healing Management
Summary
Wound healing is a dynamic, multi-phase process encompassing haemostasis, inflammation, tissue formation and remodelling. Adequate nutritional intake supports each phase by supplying energy substrates, amino acids and micronutrients essential for cellular proliferation, collagen deposition and immune function. Proteins and specific amino acids such as arginine and glutamine drive fibroblast activity and collagen synthesis, while vitamins A, C and D regulate epithelial cell migration, antioxidant defence and immune modulation. Trace elements including zinc and iron serve as cofactors for enzymes involved in matrix remodelling and oxidative balance. Lipids, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, influence inflammatory signalling and membrane integrity. Malnutrition or micronutrient deficiencies can prolong inflammation, impair angiogenesis and delay re-epithelialisation, increasing the risk of chronic wounds. Contemporary approaches emphasise personalised dietary assessments, integrating metabolic demands, comorbidities and genetic predispositions to optimise nutrient delivery. Emerging evidence suggests that diet-induced epigenetic modifications can alter gene expression in repair pathways, offering novel targets for intervention. In clinical practice, tailored nutritional support—from macro- and micronutrient supplementation to specialised formulas—has become integral to enhanced recovery protocols and improved wound outcomes across surgical, diabetic and trauma settings.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Nutrition and Wound Healing Management publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in nutrition and wound healing management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Angiogenesis: Formation of new blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to healing tissue.
Collagen synthesis: Production of collagen fibres by fibroblasts, providing structural support to the wound matrix.
Epigenetics: Heritable changes in gene expression not involving alterations in DNA sequence, often influenced by diet and environment.
Re-epithelialisation: Migration and proliferation of epithelial cells across the wound bed to restore skin integrity.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Oxygen-derived molecules that act in cell signalling and defence but can cause oxidative damage when uncontrolled.
References
- Impact of Epigenetics, Diet, and Nutrition-Related Pathologies on Wound Healing. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
- The Effect of Amino Acids on Wound Healing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Arginine and Glutamine. Nutrients (2021).
- Impact of nutrition on skin wound healing and aesthetic outcomes: A comprehensive narrative review. JPRAS Open (2024).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.