An extension of the STROBE statement for observational studies in nutritional epidemiology (STROBE-nut): Explanation and elaboration

Nutritional epidemiology is an inherently complex and multifaceted research area. Dietary intake is a complex exposure, challenging to describe and assess, and links between diet, health and disease are difficult to ascertain. Consequently, adequate reporting is necessary to facilitate comprehension, interpretation and generalizability of results and conclusions. The STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement is an international and collaborative initiative aiming to enhance the quality of reporting of observational studies. We have previously presented a checklist of 24 reporting recommendations for the field of nutritional epidemiology, called “the STROBE-nut”. The STROBE-nut is an extension of the general STROBE statement, intended to complement the STROBE recommendations to improve and standardise the reporting in nutritional epidemiology. The aim of the present paper is to explain the rationale for, and elaborate on, the STROBE-nut recommendations to enhance clarity and facilitate the understanding of the guidelines. Examples from published literature are used as illustrations, and references are provided for further reading.