NUTRACEUTICALS FOR ONE HEALTH

In recent decades, research on global health has addressed increasingly pressing challenges with significant social, economic and cultural impacts. Indeed, it is necessary to face this issue by taking various aspects into consideration. First and foremost, there is the increase in the world's population, which reached 8 billion in 2022, marking a milestone in the planet's demographic history (United Nations, 2022). As a consequence of growth’s population, needs have been increased, leading to several related issues. Urbanisation and the expansion of infrastructure have led to the invasion and disruption of natural ecosystems. Globalisation, although it has created connections among nations and made them interdependent, has brought with it a range of consequences such as dependence on the global market, trade and transport. Furthermore, economic crises and the spread of wars have led to price increases, threatening to compromise the fragile economic improvements of developing countries. In fact, the hunt for primary necessities and natural resources, mainly minerals and gas, has widened the socio-economic gap between nations to widen, undermining most of the Millennium Development Goals (McDonald et al., 2013; Mantegazza et al., 2023; Ozturk et al., 2023). In addition, the high nutritional demand for animal proteins and animal products has led to an increase in migration, livestock production and agriculture activities, resulting in deforestation and loss of biodiversity. In this increasingly complex and compromised scenario of human-animal-environment connection, health becomes a central issue. Considering the fight against infectious disease spread, the main frontier for the containment of bacterial pathogens-related pathologies is antibiotic treatment. However, given that most classes of antibiotics are common to both animals and humans and that in the past, veterinary and human medicine have promoted the massive and improper use of antibiotics, the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance has become a global problem (GBD 2021 Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators, 2024). For these reasons, the concept of health is not limited to the animal, human or environmental world, but rather encompasses and interconnects all three areas. The development of this principle has been named One Health, an innovative, holistic and multidisciplinary approach to the prevention of infectious diseases, maintaining the integrity of ecosystems and preserving biodiversity for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment (Pitt et al., 2024). As a valid strategy to face global health issues, the One Health approach promotes preventive medicine programs. The aim is to adopt management measures to reduce the chances of developing health problems and enhance the early detection of disease onsets by minimizing the rates of serious clinical outcomes and mitigating any complications arising from the development of the disease (Crittenden et al., 2021). The achievement of the One Health definition is the result of a long and complex journey that has its roots in the history of humankind and its relationship with the world. The first draft dates back to around two hundred years ago, when it was initially defined as Single Medicine, then later as One World, One Health, and finally One Health. The One Health alternative to emerging global issues has also led to the establishment of the One Health High Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) by four major global organisations: the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The OHHLEP is the scientific body responsible for defining integrated policy strategies on emerging issues, promoting and ensuring the One Health approach. Considering the concrete intervention of organisations, the integrated and sustainable approach of One Health has a real impact on national policies, forming the basis of new strategies. Among all, in order to preserve and restore global health, the One Health approach promotes preventive medicine programs aimed at adopting management measures to reduce the chances of developing health problems and enhance the early detection of disease onsets by minimizing the rates of serious clinical outcomes and mitigating any complications arising from the development of the disease (Crittenden et al., 2021). Taking the prevention in the management of global health into account, an emerging and interesting tool is represented by human and animal nutraceuticals sectors. The term “nutraceuticals” expresses the concept that nutrition can be used to improve health and was coined by De Felice in 1989 to define any substance that could be considered a food or part of a food and that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and/or treatment of a disease (Santini et al., 2018). More specifically, in recent decades, nutraceuticals have emerged as an integrated and sustainable strategy that connects scientific research to industry, increasingly reflecting the principles of One Health. In fact, in the field of human health, nutraceutical products are part of integrative medicine, supporting therapeutic approaches and preventing the onset or recurrence of diseases. The veterinary field also benefits from the use of nutraceuticals, especially at critical moments in the physiological development of farm animals due to immunological immaturity, where frequent use of antibiotics has in the past led to an increase in antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. Furthermore, the use of natural products has a positive impact on the environment, as there is less dispersion of antibiotic molecules and waste products are valorised, from which many functional molecules are extracted and marketed, promoting the circular economy model. In addition, a significant aspect of the nutraceutical strategy is the incentive for scientific research. The formulations launched on the market are often based on clinical studies; however, the biological mechanisms underlying therapeutic efficacy remain unknown. For this reason, scientific research produced and promoted by universities supports companies by providing a solid basis for interpreting clinical data, producing literature and encouraging development (Cicero et al., 2018). It highlights the mutual need for companies and universities to work together and collaborate, setting a virtuous and concrete example of the implementation of the One Health pillars. Considering that, the following PhD thesis aims to investigate and discuss the importance of scientific research role in the assessment and validation of innovative nutraceutical strategies in animal and human nutrition.