Ms Sohinee Seal, Senior Dietician, Fortis Hospital, Anandapur, Kolkata
Nutraceutical foodstuff (as a fortified food or a dietary supplement) that is held to provide health or medical benefits in addition to its basic nutritional value—called also functional food. Functional foods are defined as products that resemble traditional foods but possess demonstrated physiological benefits.
However, nutraceuticals are commodities derived from foods, but are used in the medicinal form of pills, capsules or liquids and again render demonstrated physiological benefits. There are many functional foods and nutraceuticals that are becoming increasingly available in the marketplace. The commodities that have so far reached the market are mainly those belonging to the antioxidants and also omega-3 oils, as well as probiotics, among others.
The antioxidant category is primarily composed of phenolic/polyphenolic compounds, but carotenoids as well as phytates, certain vitamins, uric acid and minerals are also included. Dietary supplements, such as the vitamin B supplement shown above, are typically sold in pill form. A dietary supplement is a product that contains nutrients derived from food products that are concentrated in liquid or capsule form.
In the US, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 defined the term: “A dietary supplement is a product taken by mouth that contains a “dietary ingredient” intended to supplement the diet. The “dietary ingredients” in these products may include: vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates, and may be found in many forms such as tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids, or powders.
Dietary supplements do not have to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before marketing, but companies must register their manufacturing facilities with the FDA.
With a few well-defined exceptions, dietary supplements may only be marketed to support the structure or function of the body, and may not claim to treat a disease or condition, and must include a label that says: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Functional foods, are fortified or enriched during processing and then marketed as providing some benefit to consumers. Sometimes, additional complementary nutrients are added, such as vitamin D to milk. Health Canada defines functional foods as “ordinary food that has components or ingredients added to give it a specific medical or physiological benefit, other than a purely nutritional effect.”
In Japan, all functional foods must meet three established requirements: foods should be (1) present in their naturally occurring form, rather than a capsule, tablet, or powder; (2) consumed in the diet as often as daily; and (3) should regulate a biological process in hopes of preventing or controlling disease.
The term “nutraceutical” was coined from “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical” in 1989 by Stephen DeFelice, MD, founder and chairman of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine (FIM), Cranford, NJ]. DeFelice proceeded to define nutraceutical as, “a food (or part of a food) that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and/ or treatment of a disease”. When functional food aids in the prevention and/or treatment of disease(s) and/or disorder(s) other than anaemia, it is called a nutraceutical. It should be noted that the term nutraceutical, as commonly used in marketing, has no regulatory definition. Thus, nutraceuticals differ from dietary supplements in the following aspects: (1) nutraceuticals must not only supplement the diet but should also aid in the prevention and/or treatment of disease and/or disorder; and (2) nutraceuticals are used as conventional foods or as sole items of a meal or diet. Dietary components play beneficial roles beyond basic nutrition, leading to the development of the functional food concept and nutraceuticals.
A functional food for one consumer can act as a nutraceutical for another consumer. Examples of nutraceuticals include fortified dairy products (e.g., milk) and citrus fruits (e.g., orange juice). Several naturally derived food substances have been studied in cancer therapies. Vitamin E, selenium, vitamin D, green tea, soy, and lycopene are examples of nutraceuticals widely studied in human health.
While many of these ‘natural’ compounds have been found to have high therapeutic potential; future studies should include well-designed clinical trials assessing combinations of these compounds to realize possible synergies they bring into human health. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (which include the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) and phytochemicals also play an important role as healthy dietary bioactive compounds. A balanced PUFA composition of food influences diverse aspects of immunity and metabolism.
Moreover, interactions between PUFAs and components of the gut microbiota may also influence their biological roles. Phytochemicals (bioactive non-nutrient plant compounds), have raised interest in human nutrition because of their potential effects as antioxidants, antiestrogenics, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anticarcinogenics. Gut microbiota can, for example, transform and influence the bioavailability and effects of polyphenols.
Phytochemicals and their metabolic products may also inhibit pathogenic bacteria while stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria, exerting prebiotic-like effects. Interactions between functional food components, such as prebiotics, probiotics, phytochemicals, and intestinal microbiota, have consequences on human health. The top condition-specific benefits users take supplements for are immunity 60%, energy/mental focus 58%, digestive 53%, cold/flu 46%, lowering cholesterol 42%, healthy skin 43%, improving memory or concentration 43%, healthy blood pressure levels 40% and preventing heart disease 38%. Nutraceutical industry news is constantly featuring new nutraceutical products every year.
Those above mentioned are some of the best and made our top 10 nutraceutical products you can look for in today’s market. If the number of sales is any indicator, they are not only effective but provide relief for much of the population on a daily basis. Over the years nutraceuticals have attracted considerable interest due to their potential nutritional, safety and therapeutic effects.