Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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INTEGRATING NUTRACEUTICALS IN THE ONE HEALTH FRAMEWORK: A PATH TO HOLISTIC HEALTH SOLUTIONS

MIRUNA-MARIA APETROAEI 1, INES-ELENA ADAM-DIMA 1, NASTASIA BELC 2*, FLORENTINA-ISRAEL ROMING 3, FLORICA CONSTANTINESCU 2, DENISA DUȚĂ 2, ADRIAN MACRI 4, DENISA-IOANA UDEANU 1

1 Faculty of Pharmacy, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6 Traian Vuia Street, District 2, Bucharest, Romania
2 National Research and Development Institute for Food Bioresources – IBA Bucharest, 5, Ancuța Băneasa Street, District 2, Bucharest, Romania
3 Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Agronomic Sciences and veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 59 Mărăști Boulevard, District 1, Bucharest, Romania
4 Animal Nutrition Department, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Mănăştur Street, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

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This study examines the prospective role of nutraceuticals to be incorporated into One Health perspectives, highlighting the possibility of addressing global multidisciplinary issues such as antibiotic resistance, malnutrition and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. The One Health concept addresses the close connection between the health of animals, people and the environment and promotes the need for a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to obtain the best health outcomes. Nutraceuticals, a wide range of bioactive substances obtained from food resources, play an important role in the field of nutrition and pharmaceutical sciences, which brings superior advantages for personalized therapies. In this narrative review, the potential advantages of nutraceuticals for improving long-life health by increasing natural immune defence mechanisms and decreasing the incidence of infectious pathologies while also offering an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional chemicals used in the food chain are discussed. Large-scale sustainable production and the incorporation of bioactive substances with nutraceutical potential in food chains can bring additional benefits for food safety and consumer health, as well as environmental protection. However, there is an urgent need to draw up standardized, strict and harmonized production rules and processes at the global level to guarantee the safety and efficiency of these products. Furthermore, it should be emphasized that health professionals have a substantial role in guiding therapeutic decisions, taking into account the potential nutraceutical-drug, food-drug and nutraceutical-disease interactions.