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Nutraceuticals are foods with potential health benefits, including dietary supplements, functional foods, and medical foods. They are not subject to the same regulations as pharmaceuticals. Vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, and amino acids are common dietary supplements. Functional foods are enriched with nutrients, and medical foods are limited to prescriptions. Pharmaceuticals are genetically engineered for optimal benefits.
Nutraceuticals are foods that may have some medical or health benefit. The word is derived from “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical” and includes dietary supplements, functional foods, medical foods, and pharmaceuticals. The main difference between nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals is that nutraceuticals are not required to undergo the same rigorous testing and regulation as pharmaceuticals.
Dietary supplements are the most common type of nutraceutical products. A dietary supplement is a liquid or capsule version of nutrients found in food and taken as an addition or “supplement” to the daily diet. Vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, and amino acids are all forms of dietary supplements.
Vitamins, such as B12, are often taken to help with metabolism, and minerals, such as calcium, are taken to strengthen bones and help prevent osteoporosis. Herbs, such as St. John’s wort, are taken to relieve stress or depression, while stimulants such as tea, chocolate, and coffee are derived from botanicals. Botanical dietary supplements are usually sold in tea form and can include stimulating or relaxing varieties. Amino acids are taken to help build muscle and improve muscle function.
Functional foods are another form of nutraceutical products. Instead of taking a dietary supplement, functional foods are enriched with nutrients and eaten normally. The two categories of functional foods are processed foods and fermented foods.
Processed foods are enriched or enriched with food additives, such as vitamin D, in a process called nutrition. During this process, the food is restored with its original nutrients that are usually lost during the time it takes to harvest and pack. Fermented foods, such as yogurt, go through a similar fortification process by adding natural live cultures to enhance the probiotic process.
Medical foods are nutraceutical products limited to prescriptions or medical supervision. They are often used when patients, such as premature babies and surgical patients, are unable to consume regular food. Medical foods are delivered through a percutaneous or nasogastric endoscopic gastric feeding tube. The nasogastric is a tube inserted into the nostril and through the esophagus into the stomach. The percutaneous endoscopic gastric feeding (PEG) tube is inserted directly into the stomach through a small incision.
Pharmaceuticals are nutraceutical products that have been genetically engineered to work best. Pharmaceuticals is a word that combines “farm” and “pharmacist” and implies the manipulation of crops or animals to produce more nutrients or better genes. This genetic farming involves isolating the desired nutrient and reproducing it through biotechnology.
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