NUTRACEUTICALS

Nutraceutical is a term that is the combination of the two words "Nutrition" and "Pharmaceutical", it is a food or food product that reportedly provides health and medical benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. The word nutraceutical was first defined by Dr. Stephen L. DeFelice. Health Canada defines the term as:

"A product that is isolated or purified from foods sold in medicinal forms not usually associated with food. A nutraceutical has a physiological benefit or provides protection against chronic disease."

Such products may range from isolated nutrients, dietary supplements, and explicit edible regimens (diets) to genetically engineered/modified foods, herbal products, and processed foods such as cereals, soups, and beverages.

Read: Role of Nutraceuticals in Health and disease prevention: A review

Classification:

Multiple different types of products may fall under the category of nutraceuticals.

• Dietary supplement:

A dietary supplement is a product or formulation that contains nutrients extracted from food products that are concentrated in liquid or capsule form. DSHEA of 1994 generally defines what a dietary supplement is constituted of. "A dietary supplement is taken by the oral route and contains a 'dietary ingredient' intended to enrich or boost the diet. The "dietary ingredient" or the API in these formulations may include vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts and may come in different forms such as tablets, capsules, soft gels, emulsions, gel caps, syrups, or powders.

• Functional foods:

Functional foods allow consumers to eat enriched foods close to their natural state, rather than taking dietary supplements manufactured in liquid or capsule form. These have been strengthened by a process called nutrification. This restores the nutrient content in food to similar levels before processing the food. In some cases, extra correlative supplements are added, for example, vitamin D to milk.

• Medical foods:

They aren't available as an over-the-counter product to consumers. These are orally consumed and are specifically formulated for managing disease by diet under the instructions or supervision of a physician. Nutraceuticals are not Medical Foods as they do not meet the requirements.

• Farmaceuticals:

As indicated by a report composed for the US Congress, named "Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, "(Farmaceuticals) is a melding of the words farm and pharmaceuticals. It refers to medically valuable compounds manufactured from modified agricultural crops or animals (usually through biotechnology). Proponents believe that using crops and possibly even animals in pharmaceutical factories could be much more cost-effective than conventional methods (i.e., in enclosed manufacturing facilities) and also provide agricultural producers with higher earnings.