• Diet quality and dietary patterns emerge as central determinants of cardiometabolic risk, showing cross-population relevance and alignment with guidelines; variation by Hispanic/Latino backgrounds underscores the need for culturally tailored patterns [18], [7], [5].

• Lifestyle interventions and functional food combinations demonstrate practical cardiometabolic risk reduction in trials and real-world settings, including POWER-UP-style programs and barley/legume strategies [2], [3].

• Risk assessment methods reveal nuanced cardiometabolic risk trajectories, with metabolic syndrome severity scores and BMI-based misclassification highlighting measurement challenges [4], [6], [12].

• Targeted nutrient substitutions and bioactive compounds, such as SFA replacements, carbohydrate modulation, and polyphenol-rich diets, modulate cardiometabolic markers and outcomes [13], [8], [19], [14].