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Obesity is considered to be a chronic complex disease that increases the risk of diabetes, heart diseases and certain cancers. According to the literature, in obese people the gastrointestinal microbiota is disturbed, which could be the cause of the onset of obesity and related diseases. Moreover, there are small non-coding RNAs (microRNAs) that are disturbed in obesity, which are also considered to be a possible mechanism of probiotics' action. Certain microRNAs are involved in the development and metabolism of adipose tissue cells, as well as the secretion and action of insulin, showing that changed expression of certain miRNAs could have a significant impact on the onset and development of obesity and obesity-related diseases. Thus, miRNAs are considered to be possible markers for the diagnosis and prognosis of various metabolic diseases, and possible therapeutic targets for the treatment of obesity and related diseases. Considering the growing need of the healthcare system for nutraceuticals and dietary supplements that present effective and safe medical nutritive therapy in obese individuals, this work aimed to assess the beneficial effects of probiotics on obesity-related microRNAs. In this review, we described the role of microRNAs and probiotics in obesity and the association between probiotics and obesityrelated microRNAs. Circulating miRNAs' profile in obese individuals significantly differs from that of normal-weight individuals. miRNAs such as miR-155, miR-221, miR-24-3p, and miR181a are over-expressed, while miR-26b and 125a are under-expressed in obese patients compared to non-obese individuals. It has been found that supplementation with Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus acidophilus could downregulate the expression of miR-155 and miR221, and upregulate the expression of miR-26b. Supplementation with a probiotic formulation containing S. boulardii, L. plantarum 299v, and octacosanol led to the downregulation of miR155 and miR-24-3p expression. miR-125a and miR-181a were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, after the intervention with L. delbrueckii and L. rhamnosus. After reviewing the available literature, we can conclude that probiotics have beneficial effects on microRNAs altered in obesity, which could provide an effective strategy for the management of obesity.

The World Health Organization highlights that in 2022 around 890 million adults and 160 million children and adolescents globally were obese, indicating a significant public health concern. Obesity results from an energy imbalance, where calorie intake exceeds calorie expenditure, leading to an increase in the size of fat cells and subsequently to metabolic dysfunction and inflammation. Management of obesity involves lifestyle adjustments, including dietary modifications and increased physical activity, with calorie-restricted diets and meal replacements often recommended to achieve weight loss and lower overall energy intake. Weight loss programs include a low-carbohydrate, low-fat, or high-protein diet. In addition, the influence of the Mediterranean diet and dietary fiber on regulating body weight has been increasingly studied in recent years. Dietary products for weight control, including meal replacements, are regulated and offer options for people who want to lose weight. More personalized nutrition approaches are emerging that focus on individual needs, genetic factors and gut microbiota composition to optimize health outcomes. Although personalized nutrition promises to explain how nutrition-related health problems may be solved, further research should investigate health outcomes in individuals living with obesity

The disposal of waste generated in the agri-food industry is one of the greatest challenges in achieving sustainable development. Although agri-food residues are a potential source of bioactive compounds with proven health benefits, they are largely unused and disposed of as organic waste. The recovery of bioactive compounds from agri-food waste to obtain products with high biological value, such as functional foods and nutraceuticals, is an idea that stems from the concept of bioeconomy and combines environmental issues with economically viable production. Some of the main agri-food wastes in Serbia that have the potential to be recycled into value-added products are apple, plum, grape, tomato, and beet pomace, and oilseed cakes. Bioactive compounds isolated from these wastes include polyphenols, fibers, essential fatty acids, minerals, various volatiles and pigments. This article focuses on the most common food wastes and the potential reuse of these undervalued material to produce value-added products such as functional foods, nutraceuticals or food additives.

Besides iodine deficiency, autoimmune Hashimoto thyroiditis is the leading cause of hypothyroidism globally, characterized by the increased titer of thyroid autoantibodies and destruction of thyroid cells. Graves' disease is the most common etiology of hyperthyroidism worldwide. Patients with thyroid dysfunction often require dietary modifications. Popular interventions include supplementation with certain vitamins and minerals, as well as trace elements such as iodine and selenium. The intake of food containing goitrogens should be limited. Goitrogens are substances of plant origin that interfere with the production of thyroid hormones, increasing the risk for goiter and hypothyroidism. The primary dietary sources of goitrogens are cruciferous vegetables, soy products, starchy plants, and some fruits. Beyond essential nutrients, there has been an increasing interest in using specific nutraceuticals, including myoinositol, Lcarnitine, melatonin, and resveratrol, as potential preventive and therapeutic agents in thyroid diseases. Even though current evidence promotes some beneficial outcomes of these nutraceuticals, further investigations are needed to clarify dose-dependent effects, duration of supplementation, combination in different clinical settings, and the exact mechanism of their action in thyroid disorders.

Pregnancy is one of the most nutritionally demanding periods in a woman's life. During pregnancy there is an increase in nutritional requirements in order to support fetal growth and development. Maternal metabolic demands and tissue development specific to reproduction are also in a need for additional nutrition. Increased need for macro- and micronutrients can be achieved by well-balanced and varied diet. Dietary supplements may be used when it is not possible to have adequate diet due to subjective or objective reasons such as nausea and vomiting. Dietary supplements are defined as concentrated sources of nutrients and other substances with nutritional or physiological effect in pharmaceutical dosage forms. Supplements that are most commonly used in pregnancy are folic acid and iron. Substances that do not occur in sufficient amount in food, such as vitamins and minerals, polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 series, diatary fibers, may also be added to a diet in a form of supplements. Different countries have different recommendations regarding use of dietary supplements in pregnancy, which indicates that the use of supplements largely depends on demographic, social and economic parameters. In Serbia, supplementation is based on recommendations from gynecologists and individual choice of a pregnant woman as there are still no national recommendations, except for supplementation of folic acid.