Importance And Importance Of Nutraceuticals

Importance of Nutraceutical in Human Health

Nutraceutical is a combination from two words i.e. ‘nutrition’ and ‘pharmaceutical. Nutraceuticals can be defined as a food or a part of food which helps in altering and maintaining normal physiological functions in healthy human beings. The principal reasons for the growth of the nutraceutical market worldwide are the current population and the health trends. The food products used as nutraceuticals can be characterized as dietary fiber, prebiotics, probiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and other different types of herbal/ natural foods. These nutraceuticals help in fighting some of the major health problems of the century such as metabolic disorders (obesity, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol & diabetes), cancer, bone disorders (osteoporosis, arthritis etc.). Altogether, ‘nutraceutical’ has led to the new era of medicine and health.

Rise of Nutraceuticals

The rise for nutraceuticals has increased over the past few years and they are being used by

They are categorized as follows based on their chemical constituents

(a) Nutrients

(b) Herbals or botanical

(c) Dietary supplements

Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, herbs, nuts and seeds contain an abundance of phenolic compounds, terpenoids, sulfur compounds, pigments, and other natural antioxidants which act as compounds for the treatment of different metabolic disorders. Food derived from herbs, citrus fruits & vegetables provide plenty of polyphenols, vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and soluble fiber and are also believed to prevent cancers. The vast number of nutraceuticals, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and other ingredients, are like an alphabet soup ranging from A to