The Rise of Nutraceuticals: Overview and Future

Recent changes in lifestyle and dietary patterns, along with increased industrialization, rising pollution and work pressure, have led to increased susceptibility to a plethora of disorders such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, and cancers. Recent advancement in the medical sciences has considerably helped in treatment of these conditions; however, it has been recently realized that nutrition management may play a huge role in prevention as well as in treatment to some extent. The market is presently flooded with hundreds of nutraceuticals/food supplements that not only help to prevent and tackle such disease conditions but may also provide general health promotion. Nutraceuticals are food substances intended to be supplemented to regular diet and may contribute to general well-being, provide protection from diseases, or may ameliorate disease conditions. Nutraceuticals may contain vitamins, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, herbs or herbal extracts, or other necessary nutrients, depending on their emphases and health claims. This chapter provides an overview of different categories of nutraceuticals, their health applications, and business outlook.