




































Bangladesh Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research 

 Vol. 4, No. 1; 2021 

ISSN 2687-850X   E-ISSN 2687-8518  

Published by CRIBFB, USA 

 

53 

A MINI REVIEW ON NUTRACEUTICALS: AN EMERGING 

ERA IN THE HEALTH INDUSTRY 
 

 

Oorvashree Hari  

Pharmd Intern 
Department of Pharmacy Practice 

 JSS College of Pharmacy 

 JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research 

 Ooty, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India 

 E-mail: oora397@gmail.com 

 

Medha Gujadhur  

Assistant Professor  

Faculty of Health Sciences 

 School of Pharmacy 

 JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mauritius 

E-mail: gujadhurmedha19@gmail.com 

 

Dr. Khayati Moudgil 

Assistant Professor 

Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy 

JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mauritius 

E-mail: khayatimoudgil@jssuni.edu.in 

 

 

ABSTRACT 

Nutraceuticals have a wide range of biochemical effects on the health of consumers. The upper 

limit of the physiological effect dimension will be food capable of curing or healing certain 

ailments. Nutraceuticals also provide benefits that go beyond their fundamental nutritional 

functions. It is important to differentiate dietary deficiency from other physiological effects such 

as risk reduction for disease. Nutraceuticals include dietary supplements, genetically modified 

foods, herbal supplements, and refined foods. This article discusses nutraceuticals, their 

categories, as well as their international and national status, need protection, merits, the current 

nutraceutical products, major nutraceutical firms, and therapeutic applications. It also 

emphasizes the critical need for research and development in the formulation of nutraceuticals.  

 

Keywords: Health, Categories, Therapeutic, Nutraceuticals, Wellbeing. 

 

INTRODUCTION 

Dr Stephen coined the word "nutraceutical" in 1989 to describe a product that can be considered 

a food or component of food that offers medical or health benefits, including disease prevention 

and treatment. Since the beginning of time, mankind has produced medicines from natural 

material extracts and used them for a variety of purposes. At present, nutraceuticals are proving 

mailto:oora397@gmail.com
mailto:gujadhurmedha19@gmail.com
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54 

to be extremely useful in this age of modern life, where we are all constantly stressed and are 

looking for a magical cure. 

Nutraceuticals are therapeutic foods that promote overall well-being, improve fitness, 

modulate immunity, and thus aid in the prevention and treatment of specific diseases (Dudeja et 

al., 2016). As a result, the area of nutraceuticals can be viewed as one of the critical missing 

pieces in an individual's health value. 

Nutraceuticals have been classified according to a variety of criteria, including their 

chemical composition, operational activity, and their role in the treatment of disease. A few of 

them are mentioned below: 

 

TYPES AND USES OF NUTRACEUTICALS 

Based on Their Chemical Constitution  

Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids are all examples of nutrients. Numerous 

nutrients are proven to show their related health benefits which include; 

 

Herbals: Concentrates and extracts of herbs or botanical items.  

 

Dietary Supplements 

They are items that are taken orally and contain a dietary ingredient that is intended to enhance 

the flavour of the foods you consume. Black cohosh is used to treat menopausal symptoms, 

Ginkgo Biloba is used to treat memory loss, and glucosamine/chondroitin is used to treat 

arthritis. Additionally, they are used for specialized purposes such as sports medicine, weight-

loss supplements, and meal replacements. Vitamins, minerals, plants or other botanicals, amino 

acids, enzymes, organ tissues, and gland extracts are all examples of supplement ingredients. 

 

According To Their Roots  

Conventional Nutraceuticals 

Traditional Nutraceuticals include foods that have not been altered in any way; they are 

essentially natural, whole foods with new knowledge about their possible health benefits. There 

has been no improvement to the foods themselves, only in the way they are perceived by the 

customer. Numerous fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, dairy, and meat products contain many 

natural components that provide additional benefits beyond nutrition, such as lycopene in 

tomatoes, omega-3 fatty acids in salmon, and saponins in soy. Even tea and chocolate have been 

shown to have health-promoting properties in several tests. Tomatoes and salmon are two foods 

that researchers have discovered contain nutrients that go beyond basic nutrition – in this case, 

lycopene and omega-3 fatty acids (Kessler et al., 2001).  

 

Non-Conventional Nutraceuticals   

They are produced as a result of agricultural breeding or by the addition of nutrients and/or 

ingredients such as non-traditional nutraceuticals that include calcium-fortified orange juice, 

vitamin- or mineral-fortified cereals, and folic acid-fortified rice. Agricultural scientists have 

successfully developed techniques for increasing the nutritional value of specific crops. 

Numerous other crops are currently undergoing research to enhance their nutritional quality.  

 

 

 



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Disease-Specific  

Cardiovascular Conditions  

Antioxidant substances, dietary fibres, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and 

minerals are all beneficial in preventing and treating cardiovascular disease. Polyphenols (found 

in grapes) help to avoid and manage arterial diseases. Flavonoids (found in onions, vegetables, 

grapes, red wine, apples, and cherries) inhibit the ACE enzyme and enhance the tiny capillaries 

that provide oxygen and essential nutrients to all cells.  

 

Diabetes 

In diabetic patients, n-3 fatty acid ethyl esters can be helpful. Docosahexaenoic acid acts as a 

regulator of insulin resistance and is essential for neuro visual production. Antioxidant lipoic 

acid can be used for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. Psyllium dietary fibres have been used 

to improve glucose regulation in diabetic patients and to lower lipid levels in patients with 

hyperlipidemia (Stauffer, 1999)  

 

Weight Loss  

Ephedrine, caffeine, ma huang-guarana, chitosan, and green tea are all herbal stimulants that aid 

in weight loss. Buckwheat seed proteins - which function similarly to natural fibres found in food 

- and green tea extract can both help in weight loss; the former decreases appetite, while the 

latter increases energy expenditure. Dietary supplements containing glucomannan, chitosan, 

fenugreek, G Sylvestre, and vitamin C have been shown to substantially decrease body weight. 

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), capsaicin, and Momordica Charantia (MC) have anti-obesity 

potential as well.  

 

Cancer  

Flavonoids, which inhibit estrogen-producing enzymes, help prevent estrogen-related cancers.  

To help prevent prostate/breast cancer, a variety of phytopharmaceuticals with purported 

hormonal activity, dubbed "phytoestrogens," is recommended. Isoflavones found in soyfoods, 

curcumin found in curry, and soy isoflavones also have cancer-fighting properties. Lycopene is 

concentrated in the skin, testes, adrenal glands, and prostate, where it acts as a cancer 

preventative. Saponins (found in peas, soybeans, some spices, spinach, onions, potatoes, alfalfa, 

and clover) are antitumor and antimutagenic. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a polyphenol 

contained in turmeric is anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant.  

Topline antitumor activity has been identified for beetroots, cucumber fruits, spinach leaves, and 

turmeric rhizomes. Gamma-linolenic acid (found in green leafy vegetables, seeds, and vegetable 

oils such as evening primrose oil, blackcurrant seed oil, and hemp seed oil, as well as in spirulina 

and cyanobacteria) is used to treat inflammation and auto-immune diseases.  

 

Anti-Inflammatory Activity  

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate are used to treat osteoarthritis because they control gene 

expression and NO and PGE2 synthesis. Cat's claw contains seventeen alkaloids, glycosides, 

tannins, flavonoids, sterol fractions, and other compounds that serve as a potent anti-

inflammatory agent.  

 

 

 



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Allergies  

Quercet (found in onions, red wine, and green tea) has been shown to help alleviate 

inflammation associated with hay fever, bursitis, gout, arthritis, and asthma.  

 

Alzheimer's Disease 

Carotene, curcumin, lutein, lycopene, and turmeric also have the potential to exert beneficial 

effects on particular diseases through neutralizing the detrimental effects of oxidative stress, 

mitochondrial dysfunction, and different types of neural degeneration.  

 

Vision Enhancing Agents 

Lutein, also known as helenium, is a carotenoid found in mangoes, corn, sweet potatoes, carrots, 

squash, tomatoes, and dark, leafy greens such as kale, collards, and bok choy.  

Zeaxanthin (present in maize, egg yolks, and green vegetables and fruits such as broccoli, 

green beans, green peas, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, collard greens, spinach, lettuce, kiwi, 

and honey-dew) is a pigment found in corn, egg yolks, and green vegetables and fruits (such as 

broccoli, green beans, green peas, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, collard greens, spinach, lettuce.  

 

CONCLUSION 

The global nutraceutical market is enormous, worth approximately USD 117 billion. The use of 

nutraceuticals is between 50% and 70% of the population in developed countries, and this 

percentage is growing with age. The female population consumes more nutraceuticals than the 

male population. The current population and health patterns are the primary drivers of the global 

nutraceutical industry. This trend is being driven by many factors, the most significant of which 

is the current consumer perception that 'Natural is good.' Other secondary factors include the 

increasing cost of several pharmaceuticals and their negative side effects, the persistent 

marketing campaign, and the awareness of the importance of a healthy diet and its role in 

maintaining health and homeostasis. However, the central point is that nutraceuticals, botanicals, 

and other herbal remedies, as well as the introduction of new functional foods, are significant 

due to their recognition as novel and modern types of natural substance gain. Due to the rapid 

growth in this region, many factors are considered to have the potential to negatively impact the 

future of the market for these products: an imbalance between the growing number of claims and 

products on the one hand and the development of policies to regulate their application and safety 

on the other, rapid and valuable controls to check the composition, inc. It's important to note that 

none of the negative factors identified by market observers indicates a shift in customer 

preferences. Numerous plant extract’s functional properties are being studied for possible use as 

novel nutraceuticals and functional foods. Although access to scientific data is increasing, the 

critical aspect is the validation of these items. The first phase in this critical aspect is ensuring the 

composition's security, which is accomplished through a useful and tailored analytical approach. 

On the other hand, in the first case, security is guaranteed by the vast majority of these plants' 

millenary use as food. The significance and innovation of functional food are inherent in the 

possibility of renewing the secure use of plants to sustain human health in novel, modern forms 

of use. 

 

REFERENCES 

Dudeja, P., Gupta, R. K., & Minhas, A. S. (Eds.). (2016). Food safety in the 21st century: 

Public health perspective. Academic Press. 



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Kessler, R. C., Davis, R. B., Foster, D. F., Van Rompay, M. I., Walters, E. E., Wilkey, S. A., ... 

& Eisenberg, D. M. (2001). Long-term trends in the use of complementary and 

alternative medical therapies in the United States. Annals of internal medicine, 135(4), 

262-268. 

 

Stauffer, J.E. (1999). Nutraceuticals. Cereals Food World, 44(2), 115-116. 

 

 
Copyrights 

Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the 

journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative 

Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 


