Knowledge mapping and bibliometric analysis of metabolic phenotypes in childhood and adolescent obesity (2000–2026)
A bibliometric analysis of 4,963 records maps three evolutionary phases of research on metabolic phenotypes in pediatric obesity.
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What the study showed
Scientific output grew across three phases: early focus on BMI criteria and metabolic syndrome, rapid growth linked to insulin resistance, and a current phase centered on metabolically healthy versus unhealthy obesity. The study characterizes collaboration networks and emerging keywords, not clinical outcomes. No primary health data were collected.
How it was done
Records retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed (2000–2026); independently screened by two researchers; analyzed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, R, and bibliometrix across 4,963 records.
Risk of bias
Bibliometrics does not assess the methodological quality of included studies; restriction to English introduces language bias; the abstract does not present complete results for the emerging-trends phase.
What this study does NOT prove
Does not prove the efficacy of any intervention or establish causality between metabolic phenotypes and clinical outcomes in children.
In clinical practice
No direct clinical recommendations arise from this study type. It is useful only for orienting research agendas.
Limitations
Bibliometrics does not assess the methodological quality of included studies; restriction to English introduces language bias; the abstract does not present complete results for the emerging-trends phase.
Technical appendix
Version history
- 1.0 · 2026-08-06 — Auto-generated under Evidence Standard v1.0
Paid access: structured summary from public metadata; consult the original study at the source.