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Abstract: Nutraceuticals are the foodstuffs which
provide health benefits in addition to their basic
nutritional value. These may include fortified foods as
well as dietary supplements that can be sold in
capsules, tablets or powders. In recent year, consumers
have begun to look at food not only for basic nutrition,
but also for health benefits. Nutraceuticals are
effective in combating or altogether curing a long list
of ailments. Here we present an overview to understand
nutraceuticals and their scope.
Introduction
The term "nutraceuticals" is a combination of the words
nutrition and pharmaceutical, that is coined by Stephen
DeFelice, a doctor and the founder of the Foundation for
Innovation in Medicine (FIM) in 1989. This is the
foundation for innovation in medicine. Nutraceutical
implies that the extract or food which demonstrate to
have a physiological benefit or provide protection
against a chronic disease. Certain examples of
nutraceuticals are resveratrol from red grape products
as an antioxidant, soluble dietary fiber products, such
as psyllium seed husk for reducing hypercholesterolemia,
broccoli (sulforaphane) as a cancer preventive, and soy
or clover (isoflavonoids) to improve arterial health. A
conventional food is that which is consumed as part of a
usual diet containing bioactive compound which reduce
the risk of chronic disease. Examples of functional
foods/ nutraceuticals have been mentioned in table 1. It
includes fish, whole wheat bread, tomato, olive oil,
salad, garlic, onion, fruit, and red wine. Other
nutraceutical examples are flavonoids antioxidants,
alpha-linolenic acid from flax seeds, beta-carotene from
marigold petals, anthocyanins from berries, etc.
Nutraceuticals were used for the prevention or treatment
of chronic disorders like cardio-vascular disease,
cancer, hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis
etc. Some of nutraceuitcal explored were listed and
explained below.
Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced naturally by
several plants when under attack by pathogens such as
bacteria or fungi. Resveratrol has also been produced by
chemical synthesis, and is sold as a nutritional
supplement derived primarily from Japanese knotweed.
Resveratrol extends the life span of several
short-living species of animals. In human trial,
extremely high doses (35g) of resveratrol in a special
proprietary formulation have been necessary to
significantly lower blood sugar. Resveratrol is found in
the skin of red grapes and is a constituent of red wine.
Reserveratrol falls in the category of antioxidants.
Antioxidants are compound which retard or prevent the
oxidation by inhibiting reactive oxygen species such as
superoxide anion, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radicals and
water. In 1997 Jang reported that topical resveratrol
applications prevented the skin cancer development in
mice treated with a carcinogen. There have since been
dozens of studies of the anti-cancer activity of
resveratrol in animal models. No results of human
clinical trials for cancer have been reported. However,
clinical trials to investigate the effects on colon
cancer and melanoma (skin cancer) are currently
recruiting patients.
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