Abstract

NUTRACEUTICALS - A REVIEW

Radhika Parasuram Rajam*, Gowsalya Murugesan, Kaviya Vadivelkumar,
Vigneshwari Menachisundaram

Abstract

Nutraceutical is the hybrid of „Nutrition‟ and „Pharmaceutical‟. Nutraceuticals, in broad, are food or part of food playing a significant role in modifying and maintaining normal physiological action that maintains healthy human beings. In recent years there is a growing interest in nutraceuticals which provide health benefits and are alternative to modern medicine. Nutraceutical-rich vegetables and fruits are an important component of a healthy diet. The principal reasons for the growth of the Nutraceutical market worldwide are the current population and the health trends. The food products used as nutraceuticals can be categorized as dietary fiber, prebiotics, probiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and other different types of herbal/ natural foods. The era of emergence of nutrients as medicines in the pharmaceutical world is of great importance and draws attention of scientists and researchers toward the appreciable benefits. As a result, interdisciplinary approaches are now been applied to design and develop various dosage forms to deliver these herbal products relative to their applications. The extensive researches have revealed the involvement of these agents in the treatment of many disorders such as cancer, arthritis, metabolic abnormalities, diabetes, asthma, and many others. The presented review is an attempt to classify all types of nutraceuticals with examples followed by their applications in the treatment of various disorders. the implementation of the designing and development of dosage forms for offering better delivery carrier of the nutraceuticals, the importance and challenges have also been enumerated. Ultimately, they ensure better quality of life and help to formulate further innovative research plan in new domain on nutraceuticals.

Keywords: Nutraceuticals, Nutrition, Health Benefits, Dietary Supplements, Therapeutic Effects.