Nutraceuticals: what is it and what are its benefits?

Nutraceuticals is a new term coined in 1989 by Stephen de Felice, founder and president of “ The Foundation for Innovation in Medicine ”, and derives from the fusion of Nutrition And Pharmaceuticals .

It is therefore a question of a discipline very new and of great interest that studies the nutraceuticals , that is, those nutritional principles contained in foods, which have beneficial effects on health.

Nutraceuticals spans various different sectors, such as biology, chemistry and medicine, and helps us understand how what we consume through food can affect our health.

What are Nutraceuticals?

Nutraceuticals are the active ingredients that make up a food, therefore it is what naturally constitutes it.

For the most part they are substances of plant-based , which are found for example in fruit or vegetables as probiotics, antioxidants, vitamins etc.

They can be taken in “naturally nutraceutical foods” or they can be synthesized to create food supplements.

To be defined Food nutraceuticals , they must contain certain active substances within them and in such quantities as to be able to bring benefits to health and in some cases prevent the onset of diseases.

Nutraceuticals are, in fact, regulated by the European Regulation 432/2012 , which establishes all the rules on nutritional and health claims, such as the use of claims.

Functional foods and nutraceuticals

For functional foods means:

“those foods that, in addition to their basic nutritional values, contain substances that regulate some vital functions and can bring physiological benefits to those who consume them”

Institute of Medicine of the US National Academy of Science.

Furthermore, to be defined as functional, a food must have certain requirements:

• It must be a food that is easily available and not synthesized or chemically processed;
• It must have a beneficial component that distinguishes it from other foods and that is scientifically proven.

An example of a functional food that we all have in the refrigerator? Yogurt, which contains the probiotics , useful for balancing our intestinal flora.

As we have already said previously, nutraceuticals are the substances present in food that can improve our state of health and in some cases prevent the onset of pathologies.

To be defined nutraceutical foods they must naturally contain the nutrients in the minimum quantities required by the regulations.

Nutraceuticals can be taken naturally within some foods, for example, polyphenols in EVO oil or vitamin C in oranges.

Or they can be added with concentrated nutraceutical extracts, as in the case of milk added with Vitamin D, for example.

Finally, they can be isolated and packaged in pre-dosed forms, such as capsules or tablets, which allows for easy intake and correct dosage.

In conclusion, we can say that nutraceuticals are the active ingredients that make a food “functional”.

Nutraceuticals: between nutrition and health

The correlation between food and health has been known since ancient times. Already in the time of the Egyptians and Sumerians, food was used to cure or prevent diseases.

Not only does Ayurveda , the ancient traditional Indian medicine, involve the use of food for therapeutic purposes, but also the father of Western classical medicine, Hippocrates, believed that food could be medicine.

In modern times, great attention has been paid to the theme of “eat well” through the study of foods and what they are made of.

There is an increasing need for a healthy and varied diet, rich in nutritious foods that can make up for increasingly common nutritional deficiencies.

In fact, it would seem that conventional foods are increasingly poor in nutrients.

For this reason, today there is a great interest in organic foods, functional foods, nutraceuticals and the so-called Superfoods , which could represent a valid aid in integrating precious nutrients into our diet.

What are the benefits of the nutraceutical diet?

Taking nutraceuticals, through food or in the form of food supplements, helps to improve the health of the body and could help prevent the onset of some diseases.

They must be integrated into a balanced diet, accompanied by a healthy lifestyle and regular physical activity.

Nutraceuticals contribute to the normal functioning of the body, performing fundamental functions such as:

• Support the immune system;
• Help regulate gastrointestinal functions;
• Prevent tiredness and fatigue even during physical activity;
• Reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular or degenerative diseases;
• Delay the aging process;
• Help improve some bodily functions.

In general, the model of a varied and balanced diet, rich in fruit and vegetables, continues to be the best to follow, as it contains all the nutraceuticals necessary to meet our nutritional needs.

But where it is necessary to compensate for nutritional deficiencies, it is important to be able to resort to superfoods or food supplements, which represent an alternative way to help support the natural functions of our body.