Abstract

NUTRACEUTICALS, HEALTHY FOOD OR MEDICINE: A REVIEW

Swati Rawat*

ABSTRACT

Nutraceutical is the hybrid of „nutrition‟ and „pharmaceutical‟. Nutraceuticals, in broad, are food or part of food playing a significant role in modifying and maintaining normal physiological function that maintains healthy human beings. Research in nutrition is constantly developing with new discoveries and innovative technologies. One such advancement that bridges the gap between nutrition and medicine is nutraceuticals. Drugs show many side effect and adverse reactions due to which consumers moved towards food supplements to improve health. In recent years there is a growing interest in nutraceuticals which provide health benefits and are alternative to modern medicine Nutraceutical--rich vegetables and fruits are an important component of a healthy diet is regarded as the bio active substance and the constituents are either of known therapeutic activity or are chemically defined substance generally accepted to contribute substantially to the therapeutic activity of the drug. Phytochemical screening involves botanical identification, extraction with suitable solvents, purification and characterization of the bioactive constituents of pharmaceutical importance. Quality control for the officially and safely of herbal product is essential. A portmanteau, of these words‟ “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical”, is a food or food product that reportedly provides health and medical benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. A product isolated or purified from foods that is generally sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with food. A nutraceutical is demonstrated to have a physiological benefit or provide protection against chronic disease. This article discusses what nutraceuticals are, the role they play in the overall health of the body, and how you can incorporate them into your diet. Development of better characterized and research proven products will help enhance consumer confidence in nutraceutical and functional food products in the world. This article briefly discusses about the basic information about the nutraceuticals and its importance. In the present review much effort has been devoted to present new concepts about nutraceuticals based on their diseases modifying indications. Emphasis has been made to present herbal nutraceuticals effective 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.

Keywords: Nutrition, Healthy food, Pharmaceutical, Traditional food, Dietary Supplement, Herbals.