Vol. 7, Issue 8 (2018)

Author(s):
Amit Kumar Singh, AK Chaturvedani, NP Singh and Amit Baranawal

Abstract:
Nutraceutical is a term coined to describe substances which are not traditionally recognized nutrients but which have positive physiological effects on the human body. They do not easily fall into the legal category of food and drug and often inhabit a grey area between the two. Risk of toxicity or adverse effect of drugs led us to consider safer nutraceutical and functional food based approaches for the health management. This resulted in a worldwide nutraceutical revolution. The nutraceutical revolution will lead us into a new era of medicine and health. Nutraceutical, a portmanteau of the 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. Although the term "nutraceutical" is now recognized internationally, there is still no consensus on its definition and meaning. Nutraceutical is recognized as a linguistic combination of “nutrient” and “pharmaceutical”, and is accepted as “Any substance that may be considered a food or part of a food and provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease.” Nutraceuticals are a diverse product category with various synonyms that are used internationally. Nutraceuticals create an open environment for new products that promise novel solutions to health‐related issues. Nutraceuticals will play important role in future therapeutic developments.