Nutraceuticals and their role in human health and disease

Abstract

Nutraceuticals, a growing market since the 1990s, is being used for prevention and treatment of various diseases. Nutraceuticals are used as drugs all over the world. While on one hand, researchers are working to discover disease-preventing potential of nutrients found in microorganisms and plants, on the other hand, pharmaceutical industry is trying to enrich food with those compounds. Nutraceuticals have been found to have anti-inflammat ory, anti-oxidative, antitumor, antidiabetic, and anti-obesity properties. While dietary fibers, probiotics, and prebiotics play a role in digestive system, antioxidants and polyphenols help in relief from ROS and cellular stress. Spices and PUFAs have a number of roles to play in disease prevention.