What Are Nutraceuticals?

Nutraceutical is a combination of "nutritional" and "pharmaceutical" and refers to foods thought to have a beneficial effect on human health. Dr. Stephen DeFelice coined the term in 1989. The term nutraceutical can also refer to individual chemicals, which are present in common foods and may be delivered in a non-drug form as a dietary supplement. Many such nutraceuticals are phytonutrients.

Nutraceuticals are often used in nutrient premixes or nutrient systems in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Nutraceuticals are sometimes called functional foods. For example red wine (Resveretrol) is an antioxidant and an anticholesterimic, broccoli (Sulforaphane) is a cancer preventative, and Soy and clover (Isoflavanoids) are a good nutraceutical to improve arterial health in women.

Nutraceuticals are products that are intended to supplement the diet that bears or contains one or more of the following dietary ingredients. These are vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, dietary substances for our use to supplement the diet by increasing the total daily intake, or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combinations of these ingredients. They are intended for ingestion in pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid form.

Nutraceuticals must not only supplement the diet but should also aid in the prevention and/or treatment of sickness, disease and/or other physical or mental disorders. Nutraceuticals are represented for use as a conventional food or as the sole item of meal or diet. We use nutraceuticals, as an attempt to accomplish desirable therapeutic outcomes with reduced side effects, as compared with other therapeutic agents such as traditional medicines pharmaceutical drugs.

We break down the various nutraceuticals into general categories to assist our readers in locating the information they are looking for. Those of you who have had specific experiences with any that we discuss are invited to comment on the various articles.
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