In recent years, increased awareness of the health benefits associated with consuming soy-based foods, knowledge of milk-related allergies and a move towards more sustainable food production have led to an increase in the number of available soy-based products. The biggest producers in the world, the USA, South America and China, are from the Pacific region. This enormous production is accompanied by the accumulation of related by-products, in particular, a substance that is known as okara. Okara is a paste that is rich in fibre (50%), protein (25%), fat (10%), vitamins and trace elements. Its proper use would lead to economic advantages and a reduction in the potential for polluting the environment. Its high fibre content and low production costs mean that it could also be used as a dietary supplement to prevent diabetes, obesity and hyperlipidaemia. Chemical or enzymatic treatment, fermentation, extrusion, high pressure and micronisation can all increase the soluble fibre content, and thus improve nutritional quality and processing properties. However, the product also degrades rapidly due to its high moisture content (70–80%), which makes it difficult to handle and expensive to dry by conventional means. The aim of this paper is therefore to thoroughly study the existing literature on this subject in order to develop a general protocol for okara exploitation and valorisation. A cost/benefit analysis could drive the design of eco-friendly, sustainable protocols for the preparation of high-value nutritional products.

Coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀) is a ubiquitous factor present in cell membranes and mitochondria, both in its reduced (ubiquinol) and oxidized (ubiquinone) forms. Its levels are high in organs with high metabolism such as the heart, kidneys, and liver because it acts as an energy transfer molecule but could be reduced by aging, genetic factors, drugs (e.g., statins), cardiovascular (CV) diseases, degenerative muscle disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. As CoQ₁₀ is endowed with significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory features, useful to prevent free radical-induced damage and inflammatory signaling pathway activation, its depletion results in exacerbation of inflammatory processes. Therefore, exogenous CoQ₁₀ supplementation might be useful as an adjuvant in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and myocardial infarction and in associated risk factors such as hypertension, insulin resistance, dyslipidemias, and obesity. This review aims to summarize the current evidences on the use of CoQ₁₀ supplementation as a therapeutic approach in cardiovascular diseases through the analysis of its clinical impact on patients’ health and quality of life. A substantial reduction of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers has been observed in several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) focused on several of the abovementioned diseases, even if more RCTs, involving a larger number of patients, will be necessary to strengthen these interesting findings.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative inflammatory condition of the joint cartilage that currently affects approximately 58 million adults in the world. It is characterized by pain, stiffness, and a reduced range of motion with regard to the arthritic joints. These symptoms can cause in the long term a greater risk of overweight/obesity, diabetes mellitus, and falls and fractures. Although the current guidelines for the treatment of OA suggest, as the gold standard for this condition, pharmacological treatment characterized by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), opioids, and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2-specific drugs, a great interest has been applied to nutraceutical supplements, which include a heterogeneous class of molecules with great potential to reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, pain, and joint stiffness and improve cartilage formation. The purpose of this review is to describe the potential application of nutraceuticals in OA, highlighting its molecular mechanisms of actions and data of efficacy and safety (when available).

Coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀) is an essential cofactor in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), present in mitochondria and cell membranes in reduced and oxidized forms. Acting as an energy transfer molecule, it occurs in particularly high levels in the liver, heart, and kidneys. CoQ₁₀ is also an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent able to prevent the damage induced by free radicals and the activation of inflammatory signaling pathways. In this context, several studies have shown the possible inverse correlation between the blood levels of CoQ₁₀ and some disease conditions. Interestingly, beyond cardiovascular diseases, CoQ₁₀ is involved also in neuronal and muscular degenerative diseases, in migraine and in cancer; therefore, the supplementation with CoQ₁₀ could represent a viable option to prevent these and in some cases might be used as an adjuvant to conventional treatments. This review is aimed to summarize the clinical applications regarding the use of CoQ₁₀ in migraine, neurodegenerative diseases (including Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases), cancer, or degenerative muscle disorders (such as multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome), analyzing its effect on patients’ health and quality of life.

Euphausia superba, commonly known as krill, is a small marine crustacean from the Antarctic Ocean that plays an important role in the marine ecosystem, serving as feed for most fish. It is a known source of highly bioavailable omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid). In preclinical studies, krill oil showed metabolic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and chemo preventive effects, while in clinical trials it showed significant metabolic, vascular and ergogenic actions. Solvent extraction is the most conventional method to obtain krill oil. However, different solvents must be used to extract all lipids from krill because of the diversity of the polarities of the lipid compounds in the biomass. This review aims to provide an overview of the chemical composition, bioavailability and bioaccessibility of krill oil, as well as the mechanisms of action, classic and non-conventional extraction techniques, health benefits and current applications of this marine crustacean.

The fine balance between symbiotic and potentially opportunistic and/or pathogenic microorganisms can undergo quantitative alterations, which, when associated with low intestinal biodiversity, could be responsible for the development of gut inflammation and the so-called “intestinal dysbiosis”. This condition is characterized by the disbalance of a fine synergistic mechanism involving the mucosal barrier, the intestinal neuroendocrine system, and the immune system that results in an acute inflammatory response induced by different causes, including viral or bacterial infections of the digestive tract. More frequently, however, dysbiosis is induced slowly and subtly by subliminal causal factors, resulting in a chronic condition related to different diseases affecting the digestive tract and other organs and apparatuses. Studies on animal models, together with studies on humans, highlight the significant role of the gut microbiota and microbiome in the occurrence of inflammatory conditions such as metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs); neurodegenerative, urologic, skin, liver, and kidney pathologies; and premature aging. The blood translocation of bacterial fragments has been found to be one of the processes linked to gut dysbiosis and responsible for the possible occurrence of “metabolic endotoxemia” and systemic inflammation, associated with an increased risk of oxidative stress and related diseases. In this context, supplementation with different probiotic strains has been shown to restore gut eubiosis, especially if administered in long-term treatments. The aim of this review is to describe the anti-inflammatory effects of specific probiotic strains observed in clinical trials and the respective indications, highlighting the differences in efficacy depending on strain, formulation, time and duration of treatment, and dosage used.