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The nutraceuticals: food or part of food plays a significant role that …
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Nutraceuticals are natural bioactive, chemical compounds that have health promoting, disease preventing or medicinal properties. Nutraceuticals are found in a mosaic of products emerging from (a) the food industry, (b) the herbal and dietary supplement market, (c) pharmaceutical industry, and (d) the newly merged pharmaceutical/ agribusiness/ nutrition conglomerates. It may range from isolated nutrients, herbal products, dietary supplements and diets to genetically engineered “designer” foods and processed products such as cereals, soups and beverages 9. It is often difficult to distinguish among nutrients, food additives and drugs independent of the matrix (food or pill) in which it is taken a dietary supplement can sometimes be food like and other times drug like. One way to differentiate between food and drugs could be examining how people are exposed to them. Drugs can be found sometimes in foods, and can participate in the metabolism. However, these substances are not normally exposed in humans at the dose at which they exert their beneficial effect. Some dietary supplements are drug like when ingested in amount that could never be achieved in the diet, even though they are essential nutrients when ingested in smaller quantities. e.g. - tryptophan is an essential amino acid required for metabolism and incorporation into proteins at low dose in humans. At high dose, it increases brain 5-hydroxytryptamine levels and thus acts as a drug to treat insomnia4. Polyunsaturated fatty acid likes leptin and statins that increases bone formation20. The nutraceutical containing phytosterols are effective in lowering LDL cholesterol21. Proteins and non-proteins of bovine milk fat globule membrane are potent nutraceutical that effective as anticancer, anticholesterolemic, coronary heart disease22. The nutraceuticals of plant origin may evolve to be considered a vital aspect of dietary disease-preventive food components. Many years ago, the National Institute of health does not support researches that are focused on dietary means to solve health problems. Noteworthy is the recent establishment of Centers for study of alternative medicine around the world. Careful studies are being done on the various phytonutrients for their role in the prevention of chronic degenerative diseases19. The sources of nutraceuticals include ginseng, spirulina, gingko biloba, amino acids, glucosamine, chondroitin and Aegle marmelos that are to be formulated and consumed or administered internally under the supervision of a qualified medical practitioner and intended for the specific dietary management of a disease or condition for which distinctive nutritional requirements, based on recognized scientific principles, are established by medical evaluation.
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