Nutraceuticals for Disease & Immunity
Nutraceuticals are composed of bioactive ingredients that assist in prevention and management of diseases including hereditary problem, nutritional disease and allergies. The Nutraceutical industry has been witnessing innovation in the form of chewable tablets, gummies, and lozenges, as a popular alternative to traditional pills for their health benefits, shelf life, quality and safety. The global nutraceuticals market is growing rapidly.
Nutraceuticals and Disease
Nutraceuticals are preferred by millennials over prescription drugs for combating different disorders including as acne, baldness, nail disorders and chronic diseases.Nutraceuticals have been shown to elicit health promoting, preventive and therapeutic effects towards many different pathological conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, obesity and allergy.Rising awareness about fitness and health has encouraged people to lead healthier lifestyles thus further increasing the demand. Nutraceuticals have the potential to not only to treat a wide array of illnesses but also boost energy, relieve anxiety, improve overall health, slow-down ageing and enhance sleep quality. Nutraceuticals can be used an adjunctive treatment along with standard of care in many disease conditions.
| Disease | Nutraceuticals |
|---|---|
| Alzheimer`s disease | Vitamin E, Vitamin C, alpha-lipoic acid |
| Bone health | Vitamin D, calcium, turmeric, resveratrol, omega-3, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, lycopene |
| Cancer prevention | Tea, lycopene, flaxseed |
| Cardiovascular | Flavonoids (onion, black grapes), omega-3 fatty acid |
| Constipation | Buck wheat |
| Diabetes | Fenugreek, cinnamon, black seed, bitter gourd, omega-3 fatty acid |
| Eye health | Lutein, zeaxanthin |
| Hyperlipidemia | Probiotics, pycnogenol, chitosan, fibre |
| Immunity booster | Vitamin D, zinc, vitamin C, omega-3, glutathione, Turmeric |
| Mental health | Phoshpotidylserine, docosahexanoic acid (DHA), soy isoflavones |
| Obesity | Chitosan, fenugreek, vitamin C |
| Osteoarthritis | Glucosamine, chondroitin, rosehip, devils claw, natural collagen, black seed, olive oil, omega-3 fatty acid |
| Parkinson | Vitamin E |
| Skin health | Turmeric, glutathione, vitamin C, Biotin, ubiquitin, coenzyme Q10 |
| Sleep enhancement | Melatonin, valerine |
| Urinary tract | infection Cranberry, hibiscus flower extract, vitamin C, L-lactic acid |
Sources of Nutraceuticals
The food sources used as nutraceuticals are all natural and can be categorized.
| Category | Examples | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Dietary fiber | Celluloses, hemicelluloses, gums | Fruits, oats, barley, beans, cabbage |
| probiotics | Lactobaccilus,bifidobacterium | Curd, yogurt, cheese and pickles |
| Prebiotics | Inulin and oligosaccharides | Chicory roots, banana, tomato |
| Good Fats | α-linolenic acid (ALA), Eicosapentanoic acid (EPA), Docosahexanoic acid (DHA) | Flaxseed, soybeans, canola, walnuts. Fish andfish oil |
| Antioxidants | Selenium, vitamin C and vitamin E | Brazil nuts, citrus fruits |
| Polyphenols | Flavonols, flavones, etc | Tea, legumes, |
| Spices | Curcumin, capsaicin, allicin | Turmeric, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, |
To avoid side effects associated with medicines, live longer and increase the health value of our diet, nutraceuticals are being preferred.
Nutraceuticals, Covid-19 and Immunity
Nutraceuticalshave immunity boosting potential.Evidence suggests that nutraceuticals have an important role in theprevention, management and treatment of COVID-19. The main nutraceuticals that are under evaluation are zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D, selenium, glutathione, curcumin and omega-3 fatty acid. Other plants being research are :
| Plants | Clinical significance |
|---|---|
| Ginger | Shown some action against human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) and can be used in the treatment of SARS-COV-2 induced respiratory distress |
| Haritaki | |
| Olive | |
| Roselle | Flavonoids have proven to be helpful against viral infections. |
| Neem | |
| Holy Basil | |
| Tea | They possess anti-inflammatory activities and can be investigated for supporting the treatment of COVID-19. |
| Drumstick | |
| Ginger | |
| Black seed | |
| Ginger | These are edible herbs which protect the body from various infections by boosting immunity. |
| Tea | |
| Chickpea | |
| Olive |
Nutraceuticals as Immune booster
Living well and maintaining a healthy immune system in human life can sometimes be challenging. The immune system gets weakened in various diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, cancer and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Smoking and drinking alcohol also precipitateinto low immunity. Long term consumption of drugs such as corticosteroids weakens the immune system. Nutraceuticals play a very important role in boosting immunity without harming the body’s natural defence mechanism.
| Nutraceutical | Anti-inflammatory | Antioxidant | Immune Modulation | Antibody production | Antiviral | Common cold | Immunity booster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N-acetylcysteine | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Glutathione | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Probiotics | |||||||
| Garlic | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ginger | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Resveratrol | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Astaxanthin | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Vitamin C | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Vitamin D | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Magnesium | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Zinc | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Quercetin | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Ferulic acid | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Lipoic acid | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Spirulina | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Apigenin | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Luteolin | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Glycyrrhizin | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Glucosamine | ✔ | ✔ | |||||
| Turmeric | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Selenium | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||
| Caffeic acid | ✔ | ✔ |
In a nutshell, nutraceuticals are dietary supplements with health benefits beyond their nutritional value. Nutraceuticals obtained from natural sources have the advantage of negligible side effects when compared with other conventional drug therapies. Though benefits of nutraceuticals are limitless, they are being continuously researched. The use of nutraceuticals is not only for dietary supplementation, but they also boost immunity and aid in the prophylaxis and/or treatment of an illness or disorder.
