Nutraceutical
Nutraceuticals are products derived from food sources that offer nutritional or health benefits beyond basic nutrients. Often referred to as nutritional supplements, medical foods, functional foods, or designer foods, nutraceuticals encompass items like fortified breakfast cereals, enhanced yogurts, and various dietary supplements such as fish oil or herbal capsules. The term was introduced in 1989 by Dr. Stephen DeFelice, merging "nutrition" and "pharmaceutical." This concept is rooted in ancient practices that advocate for food's healing properties, with historical examples of fortified foods aimed at preventing deficiencies.
Nutraceuticals are categorized into functional foods, dietary supplements, and medical foods. Functional foods provide health benefits through whole or fortified foods; dietary supplements deliver concentrated nutrients in various forms; and medical foods are utilized under medical supervision to manage specific health conditions. Regulatory bodies, such as the USDA and FDA in the United States, oversee these products, assessing the validity of health claims based on clinical trials. While nutraceuticals can offer milder side effects compared to pharmaceuticals, consumers should exercise caution and critically evaluate the claims associated with these products, as the distinction between food and medicine can sometimes blur, potentially leading to health risks.
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Nutraceutical
The term nutraceutical refers to any product derived from a food source that is consumed because it provides nutritional or health benefits above and beyond the basic nutrients found in food. Nutraceuticals are sometimes called nutritional supplements, medical foods, functional foods, or designer foods. Nutraceuticals include the extra vitamins and minerals that fortify breakfast cereals and breads, the live cultures added to enhance some yogurts, and supplements such as fish oil and various herbs consumed in capsule form. People ingest nutraceuticals because they believe they will prevent or treat a disease, strengthen an area of the body, or simply provide better nutrition to support the body's overall health.
Background
The word "nutraceutical" first came into use in 1989 as an invention of American doctor Stephen DeFelice. The founder of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine (FIM), DeFelice combined the words "nutrition" and "pharmaceutical" to make the new word, which has since been entered into The Oxford English Dictionary.
While the name was new, the idea of fortifying food to make it healthier was not. For example, since 1924, salt has been fortified with iodine. This was originally done to combat iodine deficiencies that caused goiter, an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. However, the practice has continued because iodine aids in brain development. Vitamin D has been added to milk since 1933, at first to prevent rickets, a childhood bone disorder, and later as a way to strengthen bones. When the US government noticed that many of the men enlisting for World War II suffered from nutritional deficiencies, it passed laws requiring that food such as bread and cereal be fortified with various vitamins and minerals. However, these laws were later repealed, and in the late 1940s, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) no longer required fortification. In the 1960s, laws were passed that set a maximum for fortification at the established recommended daily dose for each supplement; this was to keep food manufacturers from over-supplementing to make their product seem superior to others.
The idea of eating good food for better health is centuries old; Greek physician Hippocrates (460–570 BCE) is said to have stated, "Let food be your medicine." By the time DeFelice coined the term nutraceutical in 1989, scientists had learned how many foods affected the body. As a result, interest grew in using food as a way to enhance or improve health.
Overview
Nutraceuticals are grouped into categories, usually based on their source. These categories include functional foods, dietary supplements, and medical foods. The foods in each category are used for a specific purpose.
Functional foods are whole foods or fortified foods that are consumed for the ways in which they benefit a person's health. For example, some foods, such as salmon and nuts, contain omega-3 fatty acids, which the body cannot make but are necessary for healthy brain function. Omega-3 fatty acids are also thought to improve the cardiovascular system and limit or reduce inflammation.
Dietary supplements are usually consumed as pills, capsules, liquids, or powders. They contain concentrated amounts of specific nutrients from food. For example, omega-3 fatty acids are available as dietary supplements. People either take these supplements in place of eating certain foods or in addition to eating them.
Medical foods are those that are eaten or administered under the supervision of a physician. They are usually prescribed to help manage a disease or condition. For example, a patient may consume certain medical foods because he or she has a digestive problem. Medical foods also include nutritional liquids taken to supplement oral food for people with a condition that makes it difficult for them to take in enough calories through solid food.
In most countries, each of these categories is subject to at least some regulation as to the nature of the product and the claims that can be made about its benefits. This is often determined during clinical trials during which subjects consume a nutraceutical and physicians determine if it is actually beneficial. The appropriate government agency will use the test results as guidance in determining if a claim about a nutraceutical is valid.
In the United States, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversee nutraceuticals. These government agencies review claims and determine if they are valid. For example, if a growers' association wants to claim that the fruit it grows is heart-healthy, the USDA will decide if the evidence supports this, allowing the claim if it does and disallowing or requiring revision to the claim if it cannot be proven. Similar agencies have oversight of health claims for products in other countries as well.
Nutraceuticals offer some advantages over taking drugs to prevent or improve health. In many cases, the side-effects of nutraceuticals are milder or even non-existent, since the products are natural or closer to the way nature made them. Nutraceuticals also offer an advantage to manufacturers or producers because they are not subjected to the longer, more costly trials required for pharmaceuticals.
However, nutraceuticals straddle a line between food and medicine, so it can be difficult to detect whether an oversight has been made in determining their safety. It is possible for products that present a danger to enter the market without sufficient review, presenting a health risk. Consumers need to be cautious in determining the validity of the claims made about these products, particularly dietary supplements.
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