Nutraceutical Is Food Or Food Supplements, Offering A Medical Or Health Benefit Beyond Simple Nutrition

 

Nutraceuticals are products, which other than nutrition are also used as medicine. A nutraceutical product may be defined as a substance, which has physiological benefit or provides protection against chronic disease. Nutraceuticals may be used to improve health, delay the aging process, prevent chronic diseases, increase life expectancy, or support the structure or function of the body. Nowadays, nutraceuticals have received considerable interest due to potential nutritional, safety and therapeutic effects. 

In the present article  by R Glycidyl Butyrate (60456-26-0) manufacturer India much effort has been devoted to present new concepts about nutraceuticals based on their diseases modifying indications with emphasis of its  effect on hard curative disorders related to oxidative stress including allergy, alzheimer, cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, eye, immune, inflammatory and Parkinson's diseases as well as obesity. 

Nutraceutic is a term derived from “nutrition” and “pharmaceutics.” The term is applied to products that are isolated from herbal products, dietary supplements (nutrients), specific diets, and processed foods such as cereals, soups, and beverages that other than nutrition are also used as medicine.

In the US, the term “nutraceutical” products are regulated as drugs, food ingredients and dietary supplements. The term is not defined the same in different countries, but is usually defined as a product isolated from foods that is generally sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with food. A nutraceutical product may be defined as a substance, which has physiological benefit or provides protection against chronic diseases.Nutraceuticals may be used to improve health, delay the aging process, prevent chronic diseases, increase life expectancy, or support the structure or function of the body.

Some popular nutraceuticals include ginseng, Echinacea, green tea, glucosamine, omega-3, lutein, folic acid, and cod liver oil. Majority of the nutraceuticals possess multiple therapeutic properties.

A dietary supplement is considered as a product that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients: A mineral, a vitamin, an amino acid, a medical herb or other botanical, a dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total daily intake, or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combinations of these ingredients. Nutraceuticals are of these nutritional supplements which are used for health purposes other than nutrition.

Allergy And Nutraceuticals

Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. An allergic reaction usually occurs when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances. Quercetin protects low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) from becoming damaged, especially to blood vessels. LDL-C is an underlying cause of heart disease and quercetin acts as an antioxidant and scavenges free radicals.

Alzheimer's Disease And Nutraceuticals

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease and eventually leads to death. Several lines of evidence suggest that oxidative stress might be related to a number of neurodegenerative disorders including AD. Nutraceutical antioxidants such as curcumin, lutein, lycopene, turmerin and β-carotene may exert positive effects on specific diseases by combating oxidative stress. The growing trends in nutraceutical usage are due to the belief that these compounds are able to postpone the development of dementias such as AD.

Cardiovascular Diseases And Nutraceuticals

CVD is a term which is used for disorders of the heart and blood vessels and includes coronary heart disease (heart attack), peripheral vascular diseases, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), hypertension, heart failure, and so on. Nutraceuticals in the form of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fibers and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n−3 PUFAs) together with physical exercise are recommended for prevention and treatment of CVD. 

Cancer And Nutraceuticals

Cancer has emerged as a major public health problem in developing countries. A healthy lifestyle and diet can help in prevention of cancer. Carotenoids are a group of phytochemicals responsible for different colors of the foods. They have antioxidant activities and effective on cancer prevention. Chronic inflammation is associated with a high cancer risk. Chronic inflammation is also associated with immune-suppression, which is a risk factor for cancer. Ginseng is an example of an antiinflammatory molecule that targets many of the key players in the inflammation-to-cancer sequence.

Diabetes And Nutraceuticals

Isoflavones, are phytoestrogens which have structural/functional similarities to human estrogen. Soy isoflavones have been studied most and their consumption have been associated with lower incidence and mortality rate of type II diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and certain cancers. Lipoic acid is an antioxidant which is used for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy and seems to be effective as a long-term dietary supplement for protection of diabetics from complications.

Eye Disorders And Nutraceuticals

Healthy lifestyle with a diet containing foods rich in antioxidants, such as n−3 fatty acids, lutein and zeaxanthin appears beneficial for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). High content of polyphenolic flavonoids in nutraceuticals have been shown to possess antioxidant activity. Herbs or herbal extracts, such as green tea, Allium spp., Vitamins C and E, polyphenols, carotenoids (mainly lycopene and β-carotene), and coenzyme Q10 possess antioxidant properties and effective in AMD.

Immune System And Nutraceuticals

A wide variety of nutraceuticals have been shown to impose crucial roles in immune status and susceptibility to some diseases conditions. Nutraceuticals that belong to the category of immune boosters are useful to improve immune function. They include extracts from the coneflowers, or herbs of the genus Echinacea, such as Echinacea angustfolia, Echinacea pillida, Echinacea purpurea. 

Inflammation And Nutraceuticals

Inflammation is characterized by swelling, pain, redness and heat, and is the response of body tissues to irritation or injury. Nutraceuticals that has  influence on osteoarthritis has been tested are ginger, soybean, unsaponifiable, glucosamine, chondroitin, S-adenosylmethionine. 

Obesity And Nutraceuticals

Obesity is a risk factor for many disorders such as hypertension, congestive heart failure, angina pectoris, hyperlipidemia, respiratory disorders, osteoarthritis, cancer, renal vein thrombosis and reduced fertility. Green tea extract and 5-hydroxytryptophan may promote weight loss, while the former increases the energy expenditure, the latter decreases appetite.

Parkinson's Disease And Nutraceuticals

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, which its motor symptoms result from the destruction of dopamine-generating cells in the substantia nigra, with unknown causes. Although at present there are not sufficient scientific data to recommend nutritional supplements for Parkinson's disease, some of these supplements have shown some promising results in preliminary studies. Vitamin E, glutathione, and creatine seem to be protective against Parkinson's disease.

Toxicity Potential Of Nutraceuticals

A large number of people believe that nutraceuticals, especially medicinal plants, are important remedies to address health issues with no side-effects. The medical establishment considers herbal medicines as drugs, and as such, they must have side effects. Therefore, they need to be prepared with correct ingredients and use with caution, too. People consume thousands of species of plants and other nutraceuticals to meet their basic nutritional needs, but only a limited number of them have received significant safety studies. 

Conclusion

Nowadays, nutraceuticals have received high interests due to their potential nutritional and safety profile, other than therapeutic capability. Pharmaceutical and nutritional companies are aware of the changing trends which are due to the advantages of these compounds. Most of the nutraceuticals possess multiple therapeutic benefits.The present study devoted towards a better understanding of the nutraceuticals based on their pharmaceutical and therapeutic indications.