Neutraceuticals: Health Benefits

Neutraceuticals can be defined as food or extracts from food that has physiological benefits or supplements that provides protection against chronic diseases. There are many facets of Neutraceuticals. Neutraceuticals may be used to improve overall health, it helps delay the ageing process, and it helps prevent chronic diseases which in turn also increase life expectancy.

Neutraceutic is a term that is derived from "nutrition" and "pharmaceutics". Neutraceuticals are those foods that not only provide our bodies with nutritional supplements but at the same time have medical benefits as these help in prevention or even in treatment of disease.

Neutraceuticals can include minerals, vitamins and many other dietary supplements. Dietary Enzymes like bromelain, papain, Dietary fiber, Hydrolyzed protein, phytonutrients like resveratrol, Carotenoids like lycopene, probiotics etc.

These nutrients are derived from different natural food sources that have been traditionally consumed for their health benefits and known for preventing different kind of ailments. For example Turmeric which is used extensively in India in food preparation has great medicinal properties. It is one of the strongest antioxidants found in nature and has the potential to slow down the aging process and restore youthful energy. However, the curcumin found in turmeric is a fat- soluble nutrient and needs to be taken with fat to make it bioavailable for the body to absorb it in the bloodstream. This is where the neutraceutical companies come into picture. These ingredients after much research are prepared and made consumer ready in form of softgel capsules or powders or syrups.

By: Madhuchanda Saxena

Content: http://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/issues/1999-11/view_features/functional-foods-do-they-work-and-are-they-safe