Nutritional Research Series:
Advancing the Role of Evidence-based Reviews in Nutrition Research and
Applications
Volume 1: Application of Systematic Review Methodology to the Field of Nutrition
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - AHRQ Publication No. 09-0025
January 2009
“…..Systematic reviews represent a rigorous and transparent approach of synthesizing
scientific evidence that minimizes bias. They evolved within the medical community to
support development of clinical and public health practice guidelines, set research
agendas and formulate scientific consensus statements. The use of systematic
reviews for nutrition related topics is more recent. Systematic reviews provide
independently-conducted comprehensive and objective assessments of available
information addressing precise questions. This approach to summarizing available
data is a useful tool for identifying the state of science including knowledge gaps and
associated research needs, supporting development of science-based
recommendations and guidelines, and serving as the foundation for updates as new
data emerge.
Our objective is to describe the steps for performing systematic reviews and highlight
areas unique to the discipline of nutrition important to consider in data assessment.
Steps involved in generating systematic reviews include identifying staffing and planning
for outside expert input, forming a research team, developing an analytic framework,
developing and refining research questions, defining eligibility criteria, identifying
search terms, screening abstracts according to eligibility criteria, retrieving articles for
evaluation, constructing evidence and summary tables, assessing methodological
quality and applicability, and synthesizing results including performing meta-analysis,
if appropriate.
Unique and at times challenging, nutrition related considerations include baseline
nutrient exposure, nutrient status, bioequivalence of bioactive compounds,
bioavailability, multiple and interrelated biological functions, undefined nature of
some interventions, and uncertainties in intake assessment. Systematic reviews are
a valuable and independent component to decision making processes by groups
responsible for developing science-based recommendations and policies….”
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