Nutraceuticals
Nutraceuticals, in broad, are food or part of food playing a significant role in modifying and
maintaining normal physiological function that maintains healthy human beings. The term
“nutraceutical” was coined from “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical” by Stephen De Felice,
founder and chairman of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine (FIM), Cranford, NJ in
1989.
• According to De Felice, nutraceutical can be defined as, “a food (or a part of food)
that provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and or treatment
of a disease”.
• On the other hand, Health Canada defines nutraceutical as “a product prepared from
foods, but sold in the form of pills, or powder (potions) or in other medicinal forms,
not usually associated with foods”.
The concept of “nutraceutical” arose first in the survey from U.K., Germany and France,
where diet was rated higher by the consumers, then exercise or hereditary factors to
achieve a good health.
The food products used as nutraceuticals can be categorized as dietary fibre, prebiotics,
probiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and other different types of herbal/
natural foods. These nutraceuticals help in combating some of the major health problems of
the century such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis,
diabetes, cholesterol etc.
The principal reasons for the growth of the nutraceutical market worldwide are the current
population and the health trends. In recent years, a new diet health paradigm is evolving
which places more emphasis on the positive aspects of diet.
• Consumption of the junk food has increased manifold leading to a number of
diseases caused due to improper nutrition.
• Obesity is now recognized as a global issue.
• Heart disease continues to be a primary cause of death in most of the developing
countries worldwide, followed by cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis and many others.
Consumers being frustrated with the expensive, high-tech, disease-treatment approach in
the modern medicines are seeking complementary or alternative beneficial products. “Let
food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, quoted by Hippocrates about 2,500 years
ago is certainly the tenet of today.
PHRM 7302/207: Pharmacognosy I
Nigar Sultana Tithi, Senior Lecturer, DOP, EWU Page 1
Figure: Use of nutraceuticals in different diseases
Nutraceuticals are the emerging class of natural products that makes the line between food
and drugs to fade. 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.
In whole, ‘nutraceutical’ has led to the new era of medicine and health, in which the food
industry has become a research-oriented sector. Research and development are at the peak
in this emerging nutraceutical field. The greatest scientific need pertains to standardization
of the nutraceutical compounds or products carefully develop and execute clinical studies to
provide the basis for health claims to produce an impact on the consumers as well as on the
nutraceutical companies.
Categories of Nutraceuticals
Nutraceuticals can be organized in several ways depending upon its easier understanding
and application, i.e. for academic instruction, clinical trial design, functional food
development or dietary recommendations. Some of the most common ways of classifying
nutraceuticals can be based on food sources, mechanism of action, chemical nature etc. The
food sources used as nutraceuticals are all natural and can be categorized:
A. Dietary Fibre
B. Probiotics
C. Prebiotics
PHRM 7302/207: Pharmacognosy I
Nigar Sultana Tithi, Senior Lecturer, DOP, EWU Page 2
D. Polyunsaturated fatty acids
E. Antioxidant vitamins
F. Polyphenols
G. Spices
A. Dietary Fibre
Dietary fibre is the food material, more precisely the plant material that is not hydrolyzed by
enzymes secreted by the digestive tract but digested by microflora in the gut. Dietary fibres
mostly include non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) such as celluloses, hemicelluloses, gums
and pectins, lignin, resistant dextrins and resistant starches. Foods rich in soluble fibre
include fruits, oats, barley and beans. Chemically dietary fibre means carbohydrate
polymers with a degree of polymerization not lower than 3, which are neither digested nor
absorbed in the small intestine.
Based on their water solubility, dietary fibres may be divided into two forms: -
• Insoluble dietary fibre (IDF), which includes celluloses, some hemicelluloses and
lignins which is fermented to a limited extend in the colon.
• Soluble dietary fibre (SDF), which includes β-glucans, pectins, gums, mucilages and
hemicelluloses that are fermented in the colon.
The IDF and SDF compounds are collectively known as non-starch polysaccharides (NSP).
• The soluble components of dietary fibre by virtue of their bulking and viscosity
producing capabilities, retards the gastric emptying of the stomach. This affects the
rate of digestion and the uptake of nutrients and creates a feeling of satiety.
• Soluble fibre has been shown to lower selectively serum LDL cholesterol and to
improve glucose tolerance.
• They also enhance insulin receptor binding and improve glycaemic response.
• In colon, dietary fibre increases faecal bulking due to increased water retention,
increased transit time and increased faecal bacterial mass caused by soluble fibre
fermentation. The fibre also promotes the growth of Bifidobacteria in the gut
(especially fructooligosaccharides).
• Persons consuming generous amounts of dietary fibre, compared to those who have
minimal fibre intake, are having low risk of CHR, stroke, hypertension, diabetes,
obesity and certain gastrointestinal disorders.
PHRM 7302/207: Pharmacognosy I
Nigar Sultana Tithi, Senior Lecturer, DOP, EWU Page 3
• Research reveals that certain soluble fibres enhance the immunity in humans.
Some potential negative effects of dietary fibre include reduced absorption of vitamins,
minerals, proteins and calories.
B. Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)
PUFAs are also called “essential fatty acids” as these are crucial to the body’s function and
are introduced externally through the diet. PUFAs have two subdivisions: omega-3-(n-3)
fatty acids and omega-6-(n-6) fatty acids.
The major omega-3-fatty acids are α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentanoic acid (EPA),
docosahexanoic acid (DHA). ALA is the precursor of EPA and DHA.
• EPA and DHA are found mainly in fatty fishes such as mackerel, salmon, herring,
trout, blue fin tuna and in fish-oils.
• Principal sources of ALA are mainly flaxseed, soybeans, canola, some nuts (e.g.
walnuts) and red/black currant seeds.
Omega-6-PUFAs mainly consist of linoleic acid (LA), γ-linolenic acid (GLA) and arachidonic
acid (ARA).
• LA occurs mainly in vegetable oils e.g. corn, safflower, soyabean and sunflower.
• ARA is found in animal products such as meat, poultry and eggs.
Studies suggest that omega-3-fatty acids have three major effects on cardiovascular
diseases: anti-arrhythmic (preventing or alleviating irregularities in the force or rhythm of
the heart), hypolipidemic (promoting the reduction of lipid concentrations in the serum) and
antithrombotic (decreased arteriosclerosis).
Emerging research evidence shows the benefits of omega-3-oils in other areas of health
including-
• Pre-mature infant health (Infant formulas nowadays contain DHA along with ARA,
which closely mimic the breast milk.)
• Asthma
• Bipolar and depressive disorders
• Dysmenorrhea and diabetes
PHRM 7302/207: Pharmacognosy I
Nigar Sultana Tithi, Senior Lecturer, DOP, EWU Page 4
C. Probiotics
A probiotic can be defined as live microbial feed supplement, which when administered in
adequate amounts beneficially affects the host animal by improving its intestinal microbial
balance. Probiotics generally include the following categories of bacteria: -
• Lactobacilli
• Gram-positive cocci
• Bifidobacteria
Probiotics are available in various forms as powder form, liquid form, gel or paste or granule
forms, capsule forms etc. Specific probiotics are generally used to treat gastrointestinal (GI)
conditions such as lactose intolerance, acute diarrhea and antibiotic-associated GI side
effects. Probiotic agents possess the properties of non-pathogenic, non-toxic, resistance to
gastric acid, adherence to gut epithelial tissues producing antibacterial substances.
D. Prebiotics
Prebiotics are dietary ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively altering the
composition or metabolism of the gut microbiota. These are short-chain polysaccharides
that have unique chemical structures that are not digested by humans; in particular
fructose-based oligosaccharides that exist naturally in food or are added in the food. The
prebiotic consumption generally promotes the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterial growth in
the gut, thus helping in metabolism.
Vegetables like chicory roots, banana, tomato, alliums are rich in fructo-oligosaccharides.
Some other examples of these oligosaccharides are raffinose and stachyose, found in beans
and peas.
The health benefits of the prebiotics include -
• improved lactose tolerance
• antitumor properties
• neutralization of toxins
• reduction of constipation, blood lipids and blood cholesterol levels
Again, consumption of large amounts of such oligosaccharides causes diarrhea, abdominal
distension and flatulence.
PHRM 7302/207: Pharmacognosy I
Nigar Sultana Tithi, Senior Lecturer, DOP, EWU Page 5
E. Antioxidant Vitamins
Vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin E and carotenoids are collectively known as antioxidant
vitamins. These vitamins act both singly as well as synergistically for the prevention of
oxidative reactions leading to several degenerative diseases including cancer, cardiovascular
diseases, cataracts etc. These vitamins are abundant in many fruits and vegetables and exert
their protective action by free-radical scavenging mechanisms.
• Vitamin E which comprises of tocopherols together with tocotrienols transfer
hydrogen atom and scavenge singlet oxygen and other reactive species thus
protecting the peroxidation of PUFA within the biological membrane and LDL.
• Vitamin E and selenium has a synergistic role against lipid peroxidation.
• Vitamin C, better known as ascorbic acid, donates hydrogen atom to lipid radicals,
quenches singlet oxygen radical and removes molecular oxygen.
• Carotenoids like lycopene, β-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin are known to be the most
efficient singlet oxygen quencher in the biological systems without the production of
any oxidizing products.
F. Polyphenols
Polyphenols form a large group of phytochemicals, which are produced by plants as
secondary metabolites to protect them from photosynthetic stress, reactive oxygen species.
There are approximately 8,000 different classes of polyphenols, the most important being
flavonols, flavones, flavan-3-ols, flavanones and anthocyanins. The most commonly
occurring polyphenols in food include flavonoids and phenolic acids.
• Dietary polyphenols are of current interest because substantial evidence in vitro
have suggested that they can affect numerous cellular processes like, gene
expression, apoptosis, platelet aggregation, intercellular signaling, that can have
anti-carcinogenic and anti-atherogenic implications.
• These apart, polyphenols also possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial,
cardioprotective activities and play a role in the prevention of neurodegenerative
diseases and diabetes mellitus.
G. Spices
Spices are esoteric food adjuncts that are used for thousands of years to enhance the
sensory quality of foods. The quantity and the variety of the spices consumed in the tropical
PHRM 7302/207: Pharmacognosy I
Nigar Sultana Tithi, Senior Lecturer, DOP, EWU Page 6
countries are particularly extensive. These impart characteristic flavor, aroma, or piquancy
and colour to foods, stimulating our appetite as well as modify the texture of food.
Recent research reveals that dietary spices in their minute quantities has an immense
influence on the human health by their antioxidative, chemopreventive, antimutagenic,
anti-inflammatory, immune modulatory effects on cells and a wide range of beneficial
effects on human health by the action of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory,
metabolic, reproductive, neural and other systems.
• Most of the spice components are terpenes and other constituents of essential oils.
They have been found to be effective in different forms.
• For instance, about 50 g of onion and 5–6 cloves of garlic in their raw form are
adequate for lowering of cholesterol in human body.
• Recent studies on the lipid profile and blood pressure of moderately
hypercholesterolemic subjects showed better beneficial effects of dietary
supplement with aged garlic extract relative to the fresh ones.
• Fenugreek seeds (25–50 g), garlic (5–6 cloves), onion (50 g) and turmeric powder (1
pinch) in the daily diet of diabetics prevent and manage long-term complications of
diabetes.
• Regular intake of curcuminoids at about 0.5 g reduces blood lipid peroxide level upto
about 33% due to their antioxidant activity.
Table: Nutraceuticals available in the market
Brand Name Components Function
Betatene Carotenoids Immune function
Xangold Lutein esters Eye health
Lipoec α-lipoic acid Potent antioxidant
Generol Phytosterol Congenital Heart Disease reduction
Premium probiotics Probiotics Intestinal disorder
Soylife Soyabean phytoestrogen Bone health
PHRM 7302/207: Pharmacognosy I
Nigar Sultana Tithi, Senior Lecturer, DOP, EWU Page 7
