Role of Nutraceuticals in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention: A Review in the Indian Context

Sheena Chhabra, Apurva Bakshi and Ravineet Kaur

Nutraceuticals have been around for quite some time. As the nomenclature suggests, they are placed somewhere between food (nutra-) and medicine (-ceuticals) in terms of their impact on human health. Researches have focused on the impact of various types of nutraceuticals on health, their efficacy in health promotion and disease prevention, and often on suitable uses of certain categories of nutraceuticals for specific health issues. However, we are still far from utilizing the immense potential of nutraceuticals for benefiting human health in a substantial manner. We review the available scholarly literature regarding the role of nutraceuticals in health promotion, their efficacy in disease prevention and the perception of nutraceu­ticals’ health benefits by consumers. Thereafter we analyze the need for regulation of nutraceuticals and various provisions regarding the same.

Keywords : Consumer attitude, Disease prevention, Functional foods, Health promotion, Nutraceuticals