2. Introduction to nutraceuticals and functional
foods
1. Definition, concept of nutraceuticals
2. Classification of nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, fortified foods,
functional foods
3. Scope involved in the industry- Indian and global scenario
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3. Definition, concept of nutraceuticals
Nutrition + Pharmaceuticals
• Dr Stephen DeFelice coined the term “Nutraceutical” from “Nutrition”
and “Pharmaceutical” in 1989.
• He defined a nutraceutical as a “food, or parts of a food, that
provide medical or health benefits, including the prevention and
treatment of disease”.
Beyond the diet, but before the drugs
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4. Nutraceutical products
• Aminomine to treat mental depression.
• L-tryptophan + Lithium to treat bipolar disorder.
• Betaine reduces the levels of homocysteine as this amino acid contributes
to heart disease.
• Lecithin (present in soybeans, egg yolk) treats liver disease, gall bladder
disease, reduces memory loss associated with age, Alzheimer’s treatment.
• CoQ10 to treat migraine, heart failure, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, AML
(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis- Lou Gehrig’s- motor nerve damage).
• Omega-3 Fatty acids (PUFA): to lower triglycerides.
• Chondroitin: helps body to maintain fluid and flexibility in joints.
• Glucosamine: sugar protein to build body cartilage.
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6. Regulatory Control
• New medicines are harder to find and more expensive and risky to
develop than ever before, many companies, for example, Du Pont,
Abbott Laboratories and Warner Lambert, which have produced
conventional pharmaceuticals in the past are now merging to
survive, or are turning to nutraceuticals
• To bring a medicine to market can take about 10 years and cost
$250m whereas to market an unlicensed nutraceutical can take a
fraction of time and the cost.
• Food labelling regulations do not allow food labels to carry health
claims in many countries. This makes it hard for companies
marketing nutraceuticals to advertise the benefits of their products
without a medicine licence.
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