Journal of Probiotics & Health
Open Access
ISSN: 2329-8901
ISSN: 2329-8901
Antonello Santini
Keynote: J Prob Health
Diet and lifestyle are essential to promote and maintain the condition of well-being and nicely- being and prevent disease status. Food contains all the nutrients that allow the body to perform its functions; however a wrong approach to dietary habits can lead to the onset of pathological conditions. Metabolic syndrome, a worldwide epidemic disease, is mainly associated with the increased onset of health conditions and mortality connected to wrong lifestyle and dietary habit. This syndrome is characterized by cardio metabolic risk factors that include obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Nutraceuticals can be a promising tool for prevent and support the cure of these pathologic conditions. The term refers to active substances extracted from plants, concentrated and administered in a pharmaceutical suitable form. The word ?nutraceutical? was coined in 1989 in Rome by Stephen De Felice, is a portmanteau of the words ?nutrition? and ?pharmaceutical? and the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it ?a food that provides benefits health in addition to its nutritional content?. A nutraceutical is therefore a food (or part of a food) that produces health beneficial effects, including the disease prevention and/ or treatment. The proper term of reference for these vegetal origin dietary supplements (as they are defined according to the current regulations) has been set by Ettore Novellino in 2012 by coining ?beyond the diet, before drugs? since nutraceuticals combine beneficial healthy properties of food extracts with the healing properties of natural active compounds helping to prevent and also to cure diseases. A pro active medicine nutraceutical approach includes them in the daily diet and contributes to lower the risk connected to some lifestyle related diseases onset and also to reduce the cost for the National Health Systems, nowadays oriented to reduce the therapy costs and to promote diseases correct information and prevention.
Antonello Santini has a PhD in Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli, Italy, 1992. He is a Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, 1993-1994, National Research Council Fellow, University of Napoli, 1994-1995, Appointed to Faculty, University of Napoli ?Federico II?, 1994-today: Department of Food Science and since 2012 Department of Pharmacy. He has published more than 110 papers in reputed international journals. He is the Editor in Chief, Food Science and Technology Letters, 2011. He is Editor in Chief of Journal of Food Research , 2012; Member of the European Food Safety Authority EFSA, ERWG, Parma, Italy; Member of Managing Board, Italian Chemistry Society (SCI) Division of Teaching (DD-SCI), Rome, Italy. His teaching includes Food Chemistry, General and Inorganic Chemistry, Laboratory of Chemistry. His research activity focuses on food chemistry, nutraceuticals, food contaminants, mycotoxins and secondary metabolites and food analysis.