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Nutraceutical, a portmanteau of nutrition and pharmaceutical, refers to foods or extracts thereof claimed to have a medicinal effect on human health. There is some dispute as to what is classified as a 'nutraceutical', with some defining the term to mean dietary supplements that deliver a concentrated form of a presumed bioactive agent from a food ^[1], and others defining it as functional food consumed with the intention of aiding the prevention and/or treatment of disease(s)^[2].

Contents 1 Physiological benefits 2 Functional foods 3 Examples 4 General usage 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Physiological benefits

More rigorously, nutraceutical implies that the extract or food is demonstrated to have a physiological benefit or provide protection against a chronic disease ^[3].

[edit] Functional foods

Functional foods are defined as being consumed as part of a usual diet but are demonstrated to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions.

[edit] Examples

Examples of claims made are resveratrol from red grape products as an antioxidant, soluble dietary fiber products, such as psyllium seed husk for reducing hypercholesterolemia ^[4], broccoli (sulforaphane) as a cancer preventative, and soy or clover (isoflavonoids) to improve arterial health. Such claims are being researched and many citations are available via PubMed to ascertain their foundation of basic research.

Other nutraceutical examples are flavonoids antioxidants, alpha-linolenic acid from flax or Chia seeds, beta-carotene from marigold petals, anthocyanins from berries, etc. With the US Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), several other compounds were added to the list of supplements originally mentioned in FDA notification. Thus, many botanical and herbal extracts such as ginseng, garlic oil, etc. have been developed as nutraceuticals.

Nutraceuticals are often used in nutrient premixes or nutrient systems in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

[edit] General usage

An aging population and increased life expectancy is increasing awareness about good health and fueling the growth of demand for nutraceuticals by 6% annually. Likewise, that aging population is fueling the demand for such products in easy-to-open containers with convenient dispensers.

[edit] See also

• Health claims on food labels
• Dietary supplements
• Nutrification (aka food enrichment or fortification).
• Food supplements
• Food additive
• Food fortification
• Dietary supplement
• Food processing
• Medicinal mushrooms

[edit] References

• Nestle, Marion. Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002

[edit] External links

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, 2007
• American Nutraceutical Association
• National Nutritional Foods Association
• US FDA/CFSAN - Dietary Supplements