Nutraceuticals and Functional Food
Created On: Jan 19, 2021
Dr. Chirag Sethi * , Dr. Swarna Anchal **
* Director, Classic Fitness Academy, New Delhi.
** Technical Writer, Classic Fitness Academy, New Delhi.
Nutraceuticals are known from the time of Hippocrates (460-377 BC), the father of
medicine. Concept of food and medicine originated in China and transported to Japan where
modern nutraceutical science developed. The first project related to nutraceuticals was
started by Arai in 1984 at university of Tokyo. In 1989, Dr Stephen L. DeFelice MD coined
the term ‘Nutraceutical, which basically is a combination of two words- nutrition and
pharmaceuticals. The basic purpose behind the nutraceutical food science is “Let the Food
be your Medicine’. Our foods naturally have many bioactive components in them which
when consumed confer health benefits.
Nutraceuticals or functional foods can be defined as ‘Foods that provide health
benefits by virtue of physiologically active food components present in them beyond the
basic nutrition.’ OR Functional foods include ‘whole foods and fortified, enriched, or
enhanced foods have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed on a regular
basis’.
Different countries have regulations regarding neutraceuticals. In India, regulation
was implemented in 2010 under FSSAI Act. Foods to be considered as functional if they
have a beneficial effect on one or more functions of the body and are still in the form of
food, not a dietary supplement. Sometimes functional foods are fortified or enriched
during processing and providing some benefit to consumers such as additional
complementary nutrients are added, e.g. vitamin D to milk.
Classification of functional foods is based on a criteria of six categories including
their food source, nutrient and non nutrient values, chemical nature and based on action
which organ/s have benefits when consume them in meal.
According to food sources, functional foods are of three types whether they are
microbial derived, plant or animal derived. Plant derived functional foods having plant
protein, Beta glucan, antioxidents, vitamins tocopherols etc. whereas animal derived
functional foods contain omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, small peptides, whey and casein protein.
Microbial derived functional foods can be further classified as probiotics, prebiotics,
synbiotics and postbiotics. Based on nutrient values functional foods can be rich in lipids,
vitamins, carotenes, fatty acids, phenolic components, isoprenoids and other bioactive
components. The following table showing the various bioactive components present in
various foods.
Functional foods are proved to be health beneficial as they boost immune system,
protect gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, kidneys and skeletal system, having
anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Capsaicin present in red chili peper, genestein
in soy products, omega 6 fats, ellagic acid found in various fruits are proved to be having
anticancer and bone protective properties. Lipids profile can be improved by consuming
beta glucan (oats), resveratrol (red grapes, blue berries), tannins (chocolates, tea, berries)
and saponins found in different legumes.
When we consume some medications, supplements or apply some chemicals on skin,
harmful oxidative ions are generated in the body and an oxidative stress is generated in
body. A number of food product are proved to be antioxidant as they help the body to
remove or neutralize these oxidative ions in body such as alpha tocopherol, carotenes
(carrot), ascorbic acid (citrus fruits), glutathione rich foods and gingerol present in ginger.
ABOUT SAFETY
If we talk about the safety of nutraceuticals or functional foods, all know about their
existence from thousands of years in the diets of millions on people. As a result, they are
considered as safe and offer a proven level of tolerability as compared to modern
medicines. On the other hand pharmaceutical medicines require several years of testing
(animals and humans), researchers’ carefully record side effects as well as the effectiveness
4
of the drug. It is a long and time consuming process and sometimes may offer serious side
effects but at present, we need both neutaceuticals as well as pharmaceuticals to combat
the increasing health related issues and a quick recovery.
References:
1. Health and Human Services (2016) Retrieved 2016-10-11.
2. Nutraceuticals / Functional Foods and Health Claims on Foods: Policy Paper (2013)
Retrieved, 2014.
3. Food Labeling & Nutrition Overview. Staff, FDA (2013).
4. Hasler CM (2005). Regulation of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals.
5. Overview of Dietary Supplements (2011) Fda.gov. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
6. Nicolson GL, Settineri R, Ellithorpe RR (2014). Neurodegenerative and Fatiguing
Illnesses, Infections and Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Use of Natural Supplements to
Improve Mitochondrial Function. Functional Foods in Health and Disease 4(1):23–65.
7. Kalra EK (2003). Nutraceutical-definition and introduction . AAPS Pharmaceutical
Science 5(3):27–28.
8. Functional Food and Health. ACS Symposium. p.993. ISBN 978-0-8412-6982-8.
9. Nishizawa M, Okumura T, Ikeya Y (2019). Assessment of anti-inflammatory effects of
Japanese Kampo medicine versus functional foods. Functional Foods in Health and
Disease 9(2):79–91.
10. Sarris J, Murphy J, Mischoulon D, Papakostas GI, Fava M, Berk M, Chee H
(2016). Adjunctive Nutraceuticals for Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-
Analyses. American Journal of Psychiatry 173(6):575–587.
* Director, Classic Fitness Academy, New Delhi.
** Technical Writer, Classic Fitness Academy, New Delhi.
Nutraceuticals are known from the time of Hippocrates (460-377 BC), the father of
medicine. Concept of food and medicine originated in China and transported to Japan where
modern nutraceutical science developed. The first project related to nutraceuticals was
started by Arai in 1984 at university of Tokyo. In 1989, Dr Stephen L. DeFelice MD coined
the term ‘Nutraceutical, which basically is a combination of two words- nutrition and
pharmaceuticals. The basic purpose behind the nutraceutical food science is “Let the Food
be your Medicine’. Our foods naturally have many bioactive components in them which
when consumed confer health benefits.
Nutraceuticals or functional foods can be defined as ‘Foods that provide health
benefits by virtue of physiologically active food components present in them beyond the
basic nutrition.’ OR Functional foods include ‘whole foods and fortified, enriched, or
enhanced foods have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed on a regular
basis’.
Different countries have regulations regarding neutraceuticals. In India, regulation
was implemented in 2010 under FSSAI Act. Foods to be considered as functional if they
have a beneficial effect on one or more functions of the body and are still in the form of
food, not a dietary supplement. Sometimes functional foods are fortified or enriched
during processing and providing some benefit to consumers such as additional
complementary nutrients are added, e.g. vitamin D to milk.
Classification of functional foods is based on a criteria of six categories including
their food source, nutrient and non nutrient values, chemical nature and based on action
which organ/s have benefits when consume them in meal.
According to food sources, functional foods are of three types whether they are
microbial derived, plant or animal derived. Plant derived functional foods having plant
protein, Beta glucan, antioxidents, vitamins tocopherols etc. whereas animal derived
functional foods contain omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, small peptides, whey and casein protein.
Microbial derived functional foods can be further classified as probiotics, prebiotics,
synbiotics and postbiotics. Based on nutrient values functional foods can be rich in lipids,
vitamins, carotenes, fatty acids, phenolic components, isoprenoids and other bioactive
components. The following table showing the various bioactive components present in
various foods.
Functional foods are proved to be health beneficial as they boost immune system,
protect gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, kidneys and skeletal system, having
anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Capsaicin present in red chili peper, genestein
in soy products, omega 6 fats, ellagic acid found in various fruits are proved to be having
anticancer and bone protective properties. Lipids profile can be improved by consuming
beta glucan (oats), resveratrol (red grapes, blue berries), tannins (chocolates, tea, berries)
and saponins found in different legumes.
When we consume some medications, supplements or apply some chemicals on skin,
harmful oxidative ions are generated in the body and an oxidative stress is generated in
body. A number of food product are proved to be antioxidant as they help the body to
remove or neutralize these oxidative ions in body such as alpha tocopherol, carotenes
(carrot), ascorbic acid (citrus fruits), glutathione rich foods and gingerol present in ginger.
ABOUT SAFETY
If we talk about the safety of nutraceuticals or functional foods, all know about their
existence from thousands of years in the diets of millions on people. As a result, they are
considered as safe and offer a proven level of tolerability as compared to modern
medicines. On the other hand pharmaceutical medicines require several years of testing
(animals and humans), researchers’ carefully record side effects as well as the effectiveness
4
of the drug. It is a long and time consuming process and sometimes may offer serious side
effects but at present, we need both neutaceuticals as well as pharmaceuticals to combat
the increasing health related issues and a quick recovery.
References:
1. Health and Human Services (2016) Retrieved 2016-10-11.
2. Nutraceuticals / Functional Foods and Health Claims on Foods: Policy Paper (2013)
Retrieved, 2014.
3. Food Labeling & Nutrition Overview. Staff, FDA (2013).
4. Hasler CM (2005). Regulation of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals.
5. Overview of Dietary Supplements (2011) Fda.gov. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
6. Nicolson GL, Settineri R, Ellithorpe RR (2014). Neurodegenerative and Fatiguing
Illnesses, Infections and Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Use of Natural Supplements to
Improve Mitochondrial Function. Functional Foods in Health and Disease 4(1):23–65.
7. Kalra EK (2003). Nutraceutical-definition and introduction . AAPS Pharmaceutical
Science 5(3):27–28.
8. Functional Food and Health. ACS Symposium. p.993. ISBN 978-0-8412-6982-8.
9. Nishizawa M, Okumura T, Ikeya Y (2019). Assessment of anti-inflammatory effects of
Japanese Kampo medicine versus functional foods. Functional Foods in Health and
Disease 9(2):79–91.
10. Sarris J, Murphy J, Mischoulon D, Papakostas GI, Fava M, Berk M, Chee H
(2016). Adjunctive Nutraceuticals for Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-
Analyses. American Journal of Psychiatry 173(6):575–587.
